Naruto: Bloodlines
by HoundTheRed
Summary: Amidst the rise of the Akatsuki threat and the recent attack against Sunagakure, Akito Himaku, the last member of Iwagakure's prestigious Explosive Corps, is sent to track down his rogue cousin Deidara. However, what he finds is much more than he bargained for.
1. Chapter 1: Bad Blood

For as long as time has been recorded the existence of mankind has been a difficult one, filled with stories of power, greed, love and hatred, and the world of the Shinobi was no different.

Dating back to before the time of the Warring States Period, the Shinobi World had long been plagued with conflict that swept across all the land and resulted in the rise and fall of nations, clans and their people, leading to a world where few grew old, and even fewer without shame.

It was not until a few brave clans sought an end to the violence that the first real semblance of peace formed. What started as the first Shinobi village, Konohagakure, located in the Land of Fire, became a bright beacon for all those in the dark, and from it came the other great shinobi villages of the world.

During this time ancient rivalries across the world were put aside in the hope that with cooperation and unity would come prosperity and growth, and that from the ashes of the old world would come a brighter future for all.

But even with the hope of peace fresh after only a short sixteen years, war once again returned to the world in the form of the First Shinobi World War; an even that would display the power of unified shinobi nations for the first time, as well as the horrid realities of war that followed in this new era.

Ending in an armistice, the events of the First Shinobi World War would set the stage for thirty five more years of war hashed out over the course of both the second and third shinobi world wars, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands shinobi and civilians alike until the signing of an armistice and led the world into what would become yet another uneasy peace.

This peace, although uneasy at first, became rather long standing. Wars were fought, albeit as almost entirely local border disputes and proxy wars through the lesser shinobi villages, but as a whole the shinobi world remained stagnant; unable to move forward due to past difference and unwilling to go back to war.

But now, sixteen years after the end of the third war that had so relentlessly decimated their world, the nations of the world sit on the edge of war once again as an atmosphere of distrust and uneasy peace grows amidst the actions of a mysterious terrorist group known only as the Akatsuki.

With the recent Akatsuki attack on Sunagakure and the knowledge that rogue Iwagakure ninja Deidara had not only joined the terrorist organization but had taken part in the assault as well, Onoki, the Kage of Iwa, calls for Deidara's immediate capture and return to face justice, and in places the task in the hands of Deidara's only surviving cosin, Akito Himaku.

Having been searching for Deidara for the greater part of four years in his own time, the last member of Iwagakure's Explosive Corps accepted the task from his mentor and effectively adoptive grandfather, though it did not come without an immense burden; Deidara was responsible for the death of the Kazekage, and now more than ever he needed to be brought back home.

Setting out immediately to the last known location of his cousin generously provided by Konoha agents, it didn't take long for Akito to pick up on his rogue cousin's trail, and within a week and a half the two were standing face to face; something that they had not done in nearly six years.

Standing in the middle of the road in a small outpost town deep in the heart of the Land of Grass, the two stared at one another in disbelief as several travellers move around the frozen men.

"I don't believe it." Deidara said aloud with a small grin from beneath the brown, featureless cloak he wore to assist him in lying low, watching as the man before him stood still; his cold, determined eyes remaining locked to him beneath the long brown hair that partially covered his face as the Iwa forehead protector tied loosely around his neck gleamed in the sun.

Over the past week or so he had encountered several bounty hunters looking to claim the large sum placed on his head, including several from Iwagakure, but none of them bore the striped markings of their clan on the sleeves and pants of their clothing, nor did they wear the flak jackets specifically designed for them.

"Akito?" He question regardless of his suspicion as he tried to provoke his kin to say something, to which Akito only tightened his fists and clenched his teeth.

"What have you done?" The boy growled through his teeth angrily as his cousin scoffed.

"Oh, you are here to talk business. And here I was thinking this was going to be some grand family reunion, hmm?" Deidara replied with a hint of sarcasm laced jest, though once again Akito did not react as he had hoped.

"That time has passed. I searched for you for four years, Deidara. Four… fucking years. All with the hope of convincing you to come back home." Akito began, clenching his fists tighter as he went on.

"But now you've done something… horrid. You attacked Sunagakure, almost killed the Kazekage and risked dragging Iwagakure into a war. What is wrong with you, what were you thinking?!" He scolded, taking a step towards Deidara in anger while the Akatsuki member narrowed his visible eye on him before scoping out those around him, all of whom now watched on and began to distance themselves.

Listening intently while analyzing the situation developing at hand, Deidara grinned. "Well, you know, there is the matter of me being a missing-nin after all. Did you expect me to behave?" He questioned, centering his focus back to his cousin as the ninja drew a weapon from his kunai pouch and darted forward, locking blades with his old sparring opponent for the first time since they were children.

"Is this some sort of joke to you?! Don't you get it?! Missing ninja or not you still bear the mark of our village." Akito scolded as he reached out to strike Deidara's face, only to miss and in turn be forced to dodge one of the Akatsuki's own swings while sliding backwards and attacking again. "I've always known you were selfish, but this has gone to far! You've put Iwa a risk; everything and everyone you've ever cared for, and you are coming back with me to face your fate, right now!"

Exchanging swipes and parries back and forth amongst the now scattering crowd Deidara once again laughed under his breath. "Are you asking me if I care? If so, I don't. That place never cared about me, so why should I care about it?" He questioned as he grabbed Akito's foot as approached his face, causing him to grunt in pain at the strain placed on his newly reattached arms.

Hearing this, Akito kicked off of his foe's hand and immediately attempted to grab Deidara's arm to attempt to subdue him, though the man withdrew his extremities away from him as quickly as he could to avoid Akito's snare.

"Quite frankly I'm surprised you haven't run off yet ethier. Surely you have to be tired of being the villages pawn." Deidara snapped as he attempted to punch Akito in the stomach, only to be elbowed in the face as the boy parried, irritating him greatly.

By now the street around them had cleared and those who walked it had either fled from the waystation or into the nearest building to watch the two as they continued to engage one another in a fierce bout taijutsu. "Iwa's pawn? Your nothing but a coward… you betrayed your home, Deidara. Your family!" Akito responded in a harsh tone as he jabbed his knife towards his cousin's chest. "All for what, some stupid clay sculptures and this terrorist organization you've landed yourself in?!"

At his insult to his precious art, Deidara scowled and grabbed his cousin's forearm, lifted him rapidly over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground behind him. "Do NOT mock my art!" He exclaimed as, in one motion, he then drew a handful of kunai from his own pouch and darted them into Akito's body which then exploded into a smoke cloud to reveal a chunk of a log, followed by the boy's hands as they pierced up through the ground below Deidara's feet, grabbed his ankles and dragged him down below the surface of the road.

Almost immediately Akito then tossed Deidara back out into the street, slamming him into a nearby stone wall of a small business with enough force to cause the previously injured man to groan in pain once again.

"Ngh!" He cried as from the ground came his cousin who, in a sign of escalating force, slammed his fist into the wall of the store as Deidara side stepped and for the first time in this fight activated his kekkei genkai and used his Landmine Fist technique, blowing the wall into pieces and filling the air with debris and dust.

Sliding to a stop back in the street, Deidara immediately plunged both of his hands into the clay pouches at his side beneath his cloak; his eyes twitching in pain as an amused grin came across his lips. "Still thinking inside the box with our kekkei genkai, hmm?" He asked aloud as the dust cleared to reveal his cousin charging forward at him, just as from his pouches he pulled a handful of small clay fleas.

"Let me show you what we are really capable of!" He added as he too began to sprint forward towards Akito down the street, whipping the small explosives at the boy and detonating them as they approached, though this only managed to impede his approach slightly.

"It's no use!" He exclaimed as he once again main contact with Deidara and began to fight back and forth, tearing the right sleeve of Deidara's cloak from the main body to reveal before flipping backwards away from Deidara to avoid him detonating an explosive at nearly point blank range.

Sliding backwards and pinning another of his opponent's clay flea balls to brick wall across the road with a kunai, Akito's eyes narrowed on Deidara, specifically his right arm. A large portion of his flesh, mostly around the elbow to his mid forearm and upper arm respectively, had been sewn back together with what looked to be synthetically created flesh. He had read in Konoha's report that both of Deidara's arms had been injured, but was this a sign that the right had been completely torn off?

Coming to a halt himself and noticing Akito's state, Deidara huffed. "Your friends from Konohagakure did this to me. Killed my partner too, hmm." He complained, running his left hand over the still fresh stitches connecting his arm pieces together. "I've got an idea. Instead of this, why don't you come back with me? We are a man down and could sure use the help."

"What?" The boy scowled in annoyance, watching as Deidara tore what remained of his sleeve off to prevent it from hindering his movement.

"Think about it. We could be partners, just like when we were kids. Me and you; the last of the Explosive Corps. Kind of poetic really, even if you don't appreciate my art." He added with a grin, widening his eyes as Akito darted forward and once again tried to grab any part of his arms in an effort to subdue him.

Recoiling from the sudden strike of Deidara's knee to his chin, Akito slashed his blade across his cousin's remaining concealed arm slammed his fist to the ground, activating his kekkei genkai once again and tossing Deidara up into the air to force him on the defensive.

"Join you?!" He snarled as he mercilessly darted back and forth after Deidara across the little way station town's main street. "Unlike you I'm not a traitor, and I won't betray my people!" Akito replied once more, destroying more of Deidara's small clay creations as they flew towards him, allowing them to fall to the ground to detonate on the empty streets below.

"Traitor? You really don't get it, do you Akito?" The Akatsuki replied as he made his way to the rooftops, somersaulting to avoid a barrage of shuriken and kunai while also preparing a mouthful of clay in each hand. "My father, your father, all of our clan; do you really want to suffer the same fate as them? They spent their whole lives serving Iwagakure. War after war, battle after battle; no matter who or what or when, they dropped their lives to the dirt and ran off in Iwa's defense. And for what? To be killed in the night; their dreams and ambitions snuffed out in the blink of an eye."

With his clay compiled he pressed his hands together to form a small bird, preparing for form one of his signature techniques to make his escape. "What about your brother, Akihiro, hmm? How old was he when Iwa demanded his sacrifice?" He questioned in an effort to distract his hounding shadow, causing the man to snarl under his breath.

"Don't you dare talk about Akihiro!" Akito growled as Deidara threw the bird out into the open air above the streets below, causing him to grunt. He knew what he was about to do, and he couldn't allow him to escape!

Jumping from the rooftop towards the bird and raising his hand to form the signs necessary to activate it, Deidara's eyes widened as from behind a fuma shuriken whipped by and bisected the sculpture, detonating it in the air and blowing out every window in the small town from the sudden shockwave as its owner to fell towards the ground.

Rolling to a safe stop below, Deidara spun around to throw his own handful of weaponry at his rapidly approaching cousin, but as he swung his healing arm falter and caused his aim to miss, allowing Akito to close the distance, latch onto him and once again drag him down into the ground.

This time, however, Akito and Deidara surfaced a short distance from town as the former tossed the later out of the ground and immediately towards a large tree, though Deidara recovered before striking it. "Alright Akito, I've had enough!" He exclaimed as he once again gathered clay into his hands, watching as Akito emerged from the ground nearly unscathed.

In his weakened state he couldn't risk toying with his cousin, and no matter how much he wished to avoid causing him harm based on their bloodline alone, it seemed that it had come to that.

"I told you you were coming with me, Deidara. One way or another." Akito replied as he continued to cautiously watch Deidara's moves.

"I don't think so, my man. Time for you to see what you've been missing out on all these years." The blonde shinobi replied, holding his hands out in front of him as the mouths on his palms vomited forward a large amount of clay that pooled into two piles on the ground while remaining tethered to him, drawing Akito to narrow his eyes in both anticipation and intrigue.

Seeing that he had caught Akito's eye, Deidara grinned. "You may have heard of my work, but the last time you saw my art it was nothing more than primitive. Like the times I have changed; for the better, if you ask me, hmm." He stated as the two blobs began to take shape into two hideously disfigured humanoid forms that slowly began to creep forward towards him.

Huffing in disappointment at the outlandish tactics employed by his cousin, Akito stepped forward and gained speed towards him. "This is the art you left Iwa for?" He questioned as he drew two kunai from his pouch and lashed out against the closest clay monstrocity, being careful to slash the monster and not to stab it to avoid having his weapon absorbed into what he knew was a rather adhesive substance.

Bisecting the beast before whipping the other, now bomb-tagged kunai into the second, which he then detonated and caused the clay monster to splatter across the terrain. Turning back towards Deidara to again advance on him, Akito was shocked to discover not only two more clay forms stumbling towards him at high speed from the pile at Deidara's feet, but that the bisected form how now become two separate monsters and that the pieces of the exploded doll now began to crawl independently.

Laughing, Deidara watched as Akito began to struggle to fend off the growing army of monsters, slashing and hacking his way through some while blowing other up with his kekkei genkai; all in vain, as they continued to replicate and multiple. Some began to form blades for hands while others became large, stumbling spiked balls, causing Akito to remain on his toes as he continued to fend them off.

"It wasn't just about art, Akito. Well… it was mostly about the art, but this was also about choosing my own path." He said in confidence as one of the monsters lashed Akito's left arm to distract him, allowing another to jump onto Akito's left leg and latch on, bogging him down to the ground as more began to cling to him.

"I live and die for myself now, not for anyone else. My freedom, my art… I am the master of my own fate." Deidara added as the last of the monsters locked into Akito, forming a solid blob around him that prevented him from moving, despite his frantic efforts to break free.

Feeling victorious, Deidara walked towards his struggling cousin and lowered his arms down to his sides, laughing at Akito's frustrated grunts. "Well Akito, it has been great to see you again. Maybe when this is all said and done I will come find you, and we can play this game all over again." Deidara laughed, forcing Akito to scoff.

"It's not over yet!" He exclaimed as Deidara snickered.

"Not over? Face it Akito, you've lost. If I recall right, back when we used to spar, I was always the one-" He began to gloat, only to pause as Akito's face began to droop and his skin turned pale white.

Identifying this for what it was almost immediately, Deidara dashed backwards away from Akito as fast as he could, but not fast enough to avoid the large explosion that engulfed the area, forcing him to cover his face with his arms to avoid burns across his skin.

"A clay clone?! But that means..." He exclaimed as he pressed his feet to a tree and redirected himself up onto a branch, looking frantically around the area for Akito. There was only one way he would be able to create a lifelike clay clone of himself like that, and if it was true, this situation had suddenly become far more interesting and significantly more dangerous.

Spotting his cousin immediately as he emerged from the ground below him, Deidara grinned. "So you've got the kinjutsu now as well, hmm? I never took you for the type to steal." He yelled down to him as Akito stood tall, dirtied by hastily traveling in the ground like a mole while across his face a few small cuts began to bleed.

"I didn't steal it. Onoki gave it to me to help hunt you down, as well as what he believed was your clay substance as well. I wouldn't ever stoop to your level and steal a kinjutsu." Akito replied as he stretched his fingers, allowing the mouths on his palms to extend their tongues through the previously zipped gloves he was wearing to conceal the kinjutsu in question from the public, bringing Deidara to huff.

"Onoki, huh? That old bat still the Tsuchikage?" He question as once more Akito charged after him. Onoki had taken Deidara on as his pupil at a young age, choosing him over all of the other genin in the village, and hearing him badmouth him now was rather irritating.

"I've heard enough of your mouth!" He yelled as he threw another volley of weaponry at Deidara, this time using clay-formed senbon that he then detonated as they neared their target, creating a large cloud of flak that forced his cousin to evade and begin to distance himself from Akito.

"Weapons? I should have known you wouldn't use this gift right!" He exclaimed as the rogue shinobi unleashed more of his clay dolls, though Akito made every attempt to contact with them this time around to avoid being trapped again.

He could feel that Deidara was becoming more desperate by the minute, likely due to the injuries he was recovering from, and that would once more attempt to escape the second he had the opportunity, making it imperative that he not allow Deidara to leave his sight. The trail of clay coming from his hands was easy enough to follow, but with his ever increasing army of clay minions bearing down on him, it would be difficult to gain a clear shot towards him.

Reaching what he believed to be a safe distance away, Deidara turned to watch as once more Akito began to become overwhelmed by his creations. Akito had never lost the brutally effective use of his kekkei genkai taught to him by his father nor had he forgotten the teachings of his mother, which were made evident by both his hand-signless use of the Hiding Like A Mole technique as well as the use of a large ball of fire exhaled from his mouth; a technique more common in the land of fire than in their homeland.

Sliding across the ground to avoid the swing of a monster's blade while blowing another's legs out from beneath it with his left fist, Akito slammed into the ground with his right, activating his abilities to create a large explosion that filled the area with dust and debris that caused Deidara's monsters to stagger. This was only temporary however, and as the monsters regained their foothold the now nearly thirty clay dolls converged towards the smoke after Akito in an attempt to once again subdue him.

However, instead of Akito, from the lingering smoke suddenly emerged a large stone that, upon coming a stop at a height of nearly twenty five feet, broke into the shape of a large golem and began to smash at the clay monsters, causing Deidara to grin. "That golem is one of Onoki's signature moves, hmm. I should have known Akito would become his student after my departure." He stated to himself, as he began to form more clay to commit to the fight, only to stop as from the smoke multiple Akitos began to pour forth.

"Hmm?" He questioned as the clones ran forward and engaged the dolls, becoming tangled in their forms first before detonating each one to prevent it from reforming or multiplying. This combination was something he hadn't expected and while he was rather impressed by the amount of clay shadow clones Akito was able to create at once, the question still remained of where the original had gone.

Scanning each of the remaining clones as the approached their target, Deidara grimaced. "Where are you, Akito?" He groaned in annoyance before suddenly grunting in surprise as the golem, which had been continuing to smash through his clay arm, suddenly reared his arm back and threw one of Akito's clones straight towards him at lightning speed, crying out in anger.

Knowing that this was more than likely the real Akito rather than a clone Deidara scoffed, annoyed that Akito would result to such a straightforward and brazen attack. "Did you really think that through?!" He questioned as Akito unleashed another volley of ranged weapons as he flew towards him while using a small clay flea he had placed on the tree beside him to form a long, sharp spike that flew out to meet Akito, piercing him through the chest.

"Idiot!" He exclaimed as he side stepped Akito's attacks and focused on his body as it recoiled back towards the ground. How could he have been so stupid?! He didn't want this fight to occur nor did he want to have to hurt the last strand of his blood on this earth, but he was left with no choice.

Grinding his teeth together in anger and preparing another insult as Akito fell, Deidara's eyes widened in shock as the kunai passing by suddenly transformed into his cousin who, upon getting his footing on the tree behind him, grabbed ahold of Deidara's neck with his left arm and forcefully pierced into Deidara's back with a kunai in his right.

"W-What?" Deidara choked as he looked over his shoulder at Akito; his piercing eyes staring right into his soul as Akito dug the blade deeper into his flesh.

"I promised the Tsuchikage I would put an end to this madness, even if that meant killing you." The boy replied with gnashing teeth, feeling a strong pain forming his in his chest. He had hoped it hadn't come to this; he had always been told that family was everything unless it came above the village's needs, but even this felt hard to swallow, despite all of the resentment he had formed for his cousin over the last few years. "I gave you a choice, and you didn't listen to me! You made me do this!" He added, shifting his eyes away from his cousin back down to the ground in shame.

Hearing Akito's convicted yet shaky voice Deidara's look of horror slowly shifted and from his mouth came not a gasp of pain, but a small laugh. "I knew you cared about me." He stated as Akito once again returned his vision to him in confusion, realizing too late that Deidara's body had absorbed the blade and had begun to spread to his hands, holding him in place.

"It's been real, but I'm not ready to come home. Not yet." Deidara continued as Akito now began struggling to break free. How could he have fallen for this? Was his reaction time really so fast that he was able to effectively counter his own deceptive trick?

"I'm sure you can find it in your heart to understand. Please forgive me." He added as his body now began to change colors, turning pale and beginning to disfigure. "See you around."

Growling through his teeth, Akito managed to pull his hand from Deidara's trap and immediately spun around to distance himself from the large bomb at hand, but before he could jump to safety Deidara's clone ignitied, blasting the boy back against the large, thick trunk of the tree violently.

Screaming in pain as his head impacted the wood and his world turned dark, the boy began a harsh decent to the ground nearly seven stories below, striking every group of branches on the way down and breaking not only pieces from the tree, but part of his left forearm as well as ribs in both sides of his chest.

Unable to wake up from the state he was in even after snapping bones Akito continued to fall until finally landing what was a small stream at the base of the tree with a loud splash. The current wasn't heavy, but was still enough to carry the boy's body further downstream until finally washing up on the shore amongst other pieces of debris stripped from the tree by Deidara's explosion.

Luckily out of the stream's water far enough to avoid drowning, Akito lay quietly on his side in a semi-comatose state, completely at the mercy of the both the elements and anyone who should wish to do him harm.

Stirring awake sometime later Akito was immediately stricken with the overbearing pain felt across his cold, damp body, driving him with an overbearing urge to cry out in pain; an urge suppressed instantly by the dangerous environment he found himself in.

Laying on his back and unable to move his arms, which seemed to be bound behind him at the wrists, he could hear the voices of three people he had never heard before, causing him to open his eyes cautiously.

Almost immediately the sunlight above him caused him to silently wince in pain. He must have blacked out following Deidara's explosion, which likely gave him some sort of concussion, and a massive migraine along with it.

Pushing through the pain the boy focused on the source of the voice through his heavy eyes and quickly found what appeared to be three shinobi; two men and a woman. With his vision blurry and distorted it was hard to make out the insignias on their forehead protectors, but from the way they dressed it appeared that they were from Kirigakure.

This greatly complicated things as the members of Kiri and Iwa had a tendency to be hostile towards one another given the great amount of animosity held towards one another's villages, often leaving to violence and even armed disputes. If Kirigakure shinobi were the ones who were presumably holding him hostage, his fate was uncertain. He had to get away.

Moving his hands as carefully as he could to resist screaming in pain from his numerous broken bones, Akito began to slowly chew at the bindings holdings his hands in place, all while listening to the group as they argued amongst one another.

He first voice he could distinguish above the group was that of the kunoichi, who seemed as irritated with the situation as he was. "This was stupid Jun. How are we going to complete our mission dragging this guy around on our backs?" She questioned as the man she was talking to, who he assumed was the one named Jun, scoffed.

"Come on, don't you know who this is? Do you know what he is worth?" Jun questioned with a hint of sarcasm, triggering the third man to speak up as the girl growled objected angrily under her breath.

"Jun is kind of right, Kisa. For the money I think we could make do. If he is right and this is Deidara, we will be set for a long time. If not, well… we'll let him go." The third man added as Jun once again spoke up, clapping his hands together in a sense that the discussion was over.

"Hell yeah we could make do! The whole world is looking for this guy right now. Come on Kisara, think about it! If not for the money, then for how impressed the Mizukage will be when she hears that we were the one who brought Deidara of the Akatsuki to justice!" Jun added, though almost immediately Kisa objected.

"First off, do not call me Kisara. Second, I don't care how much he is worth, I don't want to have be taking care of some bloodied Iwa scumbag while also trying to make a positive impression on this client we are meeting. You know how much we need this mission, Jun. So do you Takao. You don't even know if this actually is Deidara. Are you willing to risk a sure thing in the hopes that this guy pans out to be the motherload?" She scolded as she crossed her arms, shifting her vision from Takao to Jun as she did so.

All of the trio's bickering was creating quite the diversion, allowing Akito to hasten his attempt to escape. With how much noise their argument was creating he was able to allow his palms to chew at the bindings faster, and soon he would be free.

With Kisa's continued objection Jun grew impatient and crossed his arms as well as took a step towards her. "He has to be the Deidara. How many other Iwa shinobi have you seen around here, especially with those hideous mouths on his hands?" He questioned, bringing Kisa to silence as he did so.

As much as she hated to let Jun think he was right she couldn't stand arguing with someone who was never wrong, causing her to sigh under her breath as she looked away. "Whatever, but I'm not carrying him. That will be your jobs."

Painful as it was, she couldn't help but feel as if Jun was indeed right. Recently life had become a struggle to get by. Jobs were less frequent in Kiri, and if they wanted to work they were forced to travel further away from home, often into lands serviced primarily by other shinobi villages, making their assignments even more stressful. To have an Akatsuki member's bounty in their accounts, even after being divided three ways, would often them quite the buffer between eating or not.

Now sure of his victory, Jun grinned from ear to ear. "See, I knew you would get it. That's why I'm in charge you know." He stated before placing his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath. "Alright, let's get moving. Takao, if you wouldn't mind taking our prisoner first, I would greatly-" Jun began to instruct as he looked over at their bounty who, at that exact second, broke his bindings, opened his eyes wide to take a good look at his captors and then sunk into the ground to disappear.

"What?!" Jun exclaimed as all three ran to the fresh disruption in the ground where their prisoner once lay, frantically looking all around, to no avail.

"Great! This is why I suggested sealing his hands, but no Jun, you know best, don't you?!" Kisa immediately began to argue as Takao snickered in amusement, though Jun simply shook his hand for her to be quite.

"Wait, shut up! Shut up!" He argued as he closed his eyes and formed a single hand sign, tapping into his abilities. Opening his eyes again revealed a whole new world around him, grey in color and showing the chakra flows of those around him, including their escaping prisoner who, much to his surprise, was surfacing rapidly not far from where he had disappeared.

Shocked, Jun immediately drew a kunai from his pouch and prepared for what he believed would be some sort of counter assault. "He's coming back up, get ready!" He exclaimed as his two teammates readied themselves, but all three soon found themselves confused.

Instead of an attack, their prisoner emerged from the ground in a hurry, propelling himself out of the ground with enough force to launch a few feet in the air before slamming into the ground and crying out in pain. Rolling to a stop he quickly brought himself to his knees and placed his head to the ground, once more writhing in agony as he cradled his injured arm under himself. As injured as he was unable to keep himself unground long, let alone use his arms to navigate, forcing him to reemerge unexpectedly.

Panting heavily as a cold sweat ran over his face and dripped onto the ground below, Akito's eyes shifted to the trio of shinobi staring at him, grinding his teeth in both annoyance and stress. They appeared ready to strike despite their somewhat confused and surprised expressions, almost as if he appeared weak.

If that were the case, he didn't blame them. He was in rough shape, the roughest he'd been in a while; all courtesy of his cousin.

Still, no matter how badly beaten he felt he had to keep going. He couldn't lose track of Deidara, if he hadn't already, and it didn't seem these three were going to let him just walk away. He had spent too much time looking for him to lose him now; he needed to escape.

This did allow him time to identify his attackers, confirming that they were from Kirigakure and making out their features for the first time. He was unsure which man was which, but one appeared to be of average build with orange, slicked back hair while the other was a tall, menacing man with blonde hair bound behind his forehead protector and two swords stored across his back; a normal wakizashi style blade and what appeared to be a large broadsword seemingly too big for the average person to handle.

The kunoichi amongst them was a bit below average height, standing as the shortest of their group, while her shoulder length, frost colored hair that draped over her forehead protector in the form loose bangs immediately set her apart from any Kirigakure shinobi he had ever seen. Even more distinguishing however was her piercing blue eyes that remained locked to him, angered by his escape.

"You there, Deidara of the Akatsuki, don't move! We have you surrounded and given your injuries there is no way you can take us all on!" Jun ordered, causing Akito's eyes to focus on him as his injured arm's grip tightened in an effort to both prepare him for what would likely be a very, very painful run as well as to vent his anger.

Did these people really believe he was Deidara? Why, just because he had the same kinjutsu? Sure, it was a rare thing to see, but given the fact that he did not match the rest of Deidara's description, how could they be so blind?

Remaining still and silent, Akito waited for the three to make their firsts moves towards him before instantly standing and darting away from them in the opposite direction; grinding his teeth the whole time. Each step, each bump, was pure agony as the bones in both his arm and his ribs rubbed together, but he couldn't stop.

"Don't let him get away!" Jun ordered immediately as all three Kiri shinobi scrambled after the boy, jump tree to tree right behind him as he desperately tried to gain some kind of leeway between them.

Using his free hand, Akito reached back into his clay pouch and took a handful of the substance in, creating small explosive balls that he immediately spun around and threw towards his foes before detonating, though the three of them dodged the attack with ease.

In retaliation Kisa drew from her own pouch a handful of senbon and unleashed them at the boy while Jun pulled from his scroll holding pouch a long scroll, unrolled it and summoned what appeared to be a long, ornate rope that began to glow as he gripped with his hands; all of this while Takao pulled both of his swords from their sheaths, ready to strike.

"Let's go, same plan as always!" Jun ordered as his two friends agreed and upon landing on his next branch and securing his foothold, sprung into action, throwing the end of the rope in the air and using his chakra flow to propel it towards Akito.

Acting in unison with their leader both Kisa and Takao advanced further towards their target with the latter providing support as the large sword wielding shinobi came face to face with Akito, slamming both of his swords into the bark of the tree the boy stood on as he ducked to avoid his swing.

Tracing the blades with his eyes, Akito grunted in pain as his good hand drew a kunai from his pouch and parried one of Takao's follow up swings, locking both of his blades to his successfully albeit it with great difficulty.

"Impressive." Takao muttered with a grin as the boy in front of him stared him down with a blank yet pained expression before kicking him in the stomach, knocking the towering man away from him. Moving to counter attack Akito instead was forced to shift backwards as Kisa unleashed a fearsome volley of both senbon and kunai, striking the branch he stood on over and over until he had no choice but to jump to another tree.

However, having not spotted Jun's rope as it approached due to Takao and Kisa's effective distraction, Akito suddenly found himself tethered around the ankle, causing him to gasp and Jun to grin.

"Got him!" The team leader exclaimed as he immediately yanked the rope, dragging Akito backwards towards them at high speed, slamming him forcefully into the tree before he exploded, sending debris and pieces of the tree everywhere.

Seeing his explosive substitution Jun immediately cursed under his breath and activated his sensory ability to began to searching for the real boy, looking all around while Kisa stopped and took a knee beside Takao.

"I didn't even see him make a single hand sign." The man stated as Kisa reached down and picked up a small burning shard of the tree. "He's not going to fall for that trick. We will have to subdue him." She replied as Jun keyed up his radio and called to the two of them.

"I don't see him anywhere. Where could he have gone? Do you see anything at all?" He questioned, though before he could receive a reply he suddenly felt the tree he stood on shake violently before beginning to fall backwards; its roots uprooted from the ground by a disturbance in the ground below.

Not wanting to be crushed in the large tree's collapse Jun took immediate evasive action and jumped from the tree down to the ground where almost instantly he was engaged by Akito as the boy emerged from the ground.

Drawing a kunai the boy immediately pressed into Jun, matching his blade to the Kiri ninja's over and over again, even slashing through his chakra rope as he did so. "So you figured out it was me, didn't you? That I was the one tracking you?" Jun questioned as the two locked their blades together, though Akito remained silent.

He had suspected that was the case but had not yet to come to a certain conclusion, leading him to attack him specifically. With Jun able to track him he would have an extremely hard time escaping them, making the man his primary target.

Parrying Akito's blade to the side Jun went on the offensive, striking out at him several times as the weakened boy stumbled backwards, blocking each attack as it came and filling the air with sparks at their colliding steel.

"Make it easy on yourself and just surrender!" The man taunted as Akito continued to duck and weave his away from his attacker's weapons before countering, striking Jun in the jaw with his fist and then again in the stomach.

In retaliation Jun kicked into Akito's chest, striking one of his injured ribs and causing him to scream out in pain as he staggered backwards before forming the hand signs necessary to facilitate a Water Bullet technique.

"Take this!" He exclaimed, launching a large amount of water from his mouth at high velocity towards Akito who dropped to a knee and summoned a rock wall to protected himself.

This was not Jun's only attack, and as the last of the water left his mouth he summoned two large chains, one in each hand, and swung them in a crossing fashion towards Akito with the intent of wrapping around the boy and slamming him into his own wall.

The attack failed however and as the chains closed in on Akito he jumped up and over the wall towards Jun, rolled to a stop in front of him and placed both of his hands to his chest, regardless of the pain it caused him to move his left arm.

"Ngg!" He groaned through his teeth as both of his hands activated his kekkei genkai's Exploding Palms technique, sending the man flying backwards through the air into the forest at a high rate of speed with a whistle.

Succeeding in his plan to separate and disorient the enemy squad's sensory-nin, Akito immediately spun around to enter the ground and make his escape but found himself once again locking blades with the squad's behemoth, forcing him to duck to avoid his second weapon's swing or risk being cleaved in two.

Once more grunting in pain and in a prime location to unleash a similar strike on Takao that he had done to Jun, Akito reached forward to place his palms on Takao's chest, but instantly came under fire from the group's third who, enraged by the boy's attack against their leader, charged into the boy and began to relentlessly attack him.

"You bastard!" She cursed as she clashed against him over and over again, keeping him on the defensive as he desperately tried to gain a second to escape. While the others were difficult to deal with she quickly had become his biggest threat, unleashing strikes so quick that they were difficult to evade and that resulted in a large cut across his right cheek from a close call with one of her senbon needles.

Just like Akito, Kisa was equally impressed by her opponents skill. Severely outnumbered, babying a wounded limb and likely fighting off a concussion she never thought this boy would be able to put up such a fight, let alone be able to ward off all three of them at once. This was an astonishing feat, even if he was nothing more than a lowly Iwa dog.

Tossing his kunai in the air and catching it with his own mouth while drawing another with his good arm, a clear sign of his desperation, Akito blocked both of the girl's weapons and pressed his right foot to her stomach, forcing her back far enough to again try and make a run for freedom, but once again he was nearly mutilated by Takao's blade and forced to react.

Replacing himself with a clay clone that the man cleaved in two and used the back end of his sword to rid himself of the remnant before it could explode, Akito reappeared and charged the man, dodging another handful of Kisa's senbon in the process.

"Takao, watch out!" She yelled as Jun swung both blades horizontally towards the boy in an effort to stop his advance, but as he did so Akito jumped onto the blades and gained the distance needed to reach forward and used his palms to send Takao harshly to the ground and across the open area they were in.

Infuriated by her inability to stop the boy's attack from once more sending one of her friends flying and growing tired of this game, Kisa growled, waiting for Akito to touch the ground before suddenly forming hand signs.

"Enough!" She yelled in anger as from the ground a wave of ice suddenly shot, forming a large crystal dome overtop of the exhausted boy who stared in shock. Ice? This woman could control ice? He had heard of this before; an Ice Release kekkei genkai from the Land of Water long believed to have been extinct. Could it be possible that she was one of the members of that bloodline?

Grunting in annoyance Akito dropped the blade he had been holding in his mouth to the ground and wiped the blood running from the wound on his face. Was her plan really to hold him in place? Did she think that would work?

With a deep breath Akito charged towards the nearest part of the ice dome, reared his good fist back and slammed it into the wall, activating his kekkei genkai and shattering the glass before him with a loud smash. With a small huff he then immediately attempted to make a break for the treeline, but before he could clear the breach the dome instantly sealed, trapping him inside once again.

"What?" He asked himself aloud as once jagged and randomly shaped corners of the crystalline structure began to straighten and form a symmetrical dome of ice mirrors. "It's no use, you can't escape." Kisa's voice called as her imaged appeared across all of the mirrors at once. "You are trapped. Now give up!" She demanded, further angering the boy inside her maze.

Once again Akito charged forward at the ice dome and slammed his fist into the wall, blowing yet another piece off of the dome, though once again it recovered almost instantly, and unlike last time Kisa didn't simply just watch his attack.

Emerging from the top of the dome the girl dropped to the floor and dashed towards the Iwa ninja, throwing volley after volley of ice needles at him, forcing him to retaliate. But as he neared the center of the dome where she was the girl suddenly disappeared back into the mirrors and laughed.

"That was a mistake, Iwa!" She exclaimed as from above rained a massed volley of ice down on him, forcing him to summon a piece of earth up from the ground to protect himself.

Almost consecutively another volley of needles flew from his left leading him to try and form another rock wall, but this time as the wall came forth from the ground Kisa's ice caught it and prevented it from raising up from the ground.

Caught off guard Akito manually attempted to avoid the attack although in his condition the task was much harder than he anticipated, leading him to be struck several times by her attack across various parts of his body, including his already injured arm.

"Guah!" The boy cried in pain as he fell to a knee in the center of the dome, watching as the ice slowly pulled both of his attempts at stone cover back down into the earth, leaving him fully exposed and at her mercy.

"Why are you fighting this? There is no way you can win." Kisa again reassured the boy who now struggled to hold himself up as his blood dripped onto the icy ground below him. His body was battered and his chakra was low; was she right? Was there really no way out of this?

Panting heavily as he used his teeth to pull the senbon from his wounded arm Akito shook his head and slowly stood back up to his feet in an act of defiance. He was really going to make her knock him out, wasn't he? Was he insane?

As she presumed Akito ran towards the dome with his fist prepared to strike, forcing her to attack again. He managed to avoid the first few, but with the third handful he was struck several times, including once in his neck, causing him stagger and collapse to his hands and knees once again.

Assuming that this was his final straw, Kisa stepped forward from the icy dome in front of him with her hand on her right hip, watching as the boy yet again placed his forehead to the ground and groaned in pain. He was determined, she would give him that, even if that determination seemed to lead unnecessarily towards more pain.

"Had enough?" She questioned as the boy coughed and groaned in pain. The world was spinning faster and faster as the seconds went by and it was clear that he was rapidly losing strength. Was he going to pass out again?

If that were the case, what then? They truly believed he was Deidara. When that was disproven, if it was disproven, then what would they do with him? Would they let him go, or would they kill him to avoid repercussion? Was this the end?

Barely able to form words from the combination of pain and exhaustion he was experiencing, Akito instead slowly used his good arm to push himself up to sit on his knees and with bruised and broken eyes, sought out and found the bright blue orbs harbored behind her long hair.

Seeing this, Kisa's eyes widened. She hadn't really had the opportunity to look at the boy's face, but beneath the dirt and mud was a boy roughly their age; his dark eyes locking to hers beneath his long, brown hair as his body swayed uneasily back and forth.

With everything that Iwagakure had done to her family and their people she often found it hard to look upon one of their shinobi with anything other than hatred, but with the way this boy was looking at her now she felt almost… sorry.

Before she could even contemplate asking the boy for his surrender again he was suddenly struck in the face from the side; the blow knocking him out cold and causing him to blackout and collapse onto the ground.

Surprised, Kisa looked to her side and saw Jun, who stood rubbing his fist from the rough hit to the boy's cheek. "Well, we got him." He stated with a grin as Kisa continued to stare at him, retracting her ice dome as she did so, revealing Takao as he stood watching her duel with the boy with his arms crossed in amusement.

She had taught them both how to force their way inside of one of her ice shields should she ever need help while inside of them, but at this moment she regretted that decision. She was on the verge of making him surrender, and if she would have been able to do so neither he nor Takao would be forced to carry him.

"I had it handled, Jun." She contested as Jun walked over to the boy and forcefully rolled him onto his stomach and a rough manner before binding his hands with his ornate, chakra infused rope, as well as wrapping his hands in a sealing scroll to temporarily restrain his kinjutsu.

"I mean, if staring at him counts as 'having it handled', I guess you did." He protested in an almost demeaning way before standing up straight and placing his hands on his lower back with a wince of pain. The boy's attack knocked him into a tree hard enough to cause him to black out temporarily, as will as tweak something in his spine. "But don't worry, I'm fine."

"What about you big guy, you alright?" He questioned Takao who adjusted the sheaths on his back and nodded. "Yeah I'm fine, just some bruises and scrapes. Kisa?" Takao questioned in return as the girl crossed her arms and looked away, trying not to show her anger.

"I'm fine." She retorted as Jun grinned wider and clapped his hands. "Alright, good work team!" He exclaimed before slicking his hair back and looking back to Akito, who he promptly kicked in the stomach as hard as he could. He was a lot more work than he believed he was going to be, and his bounty had better be worth it in the end.

"Well, let's get moving. Our client will be expecting us in two days, and with this one on our backs, we will need all of the time we have to make it there on time." He stated as he went to pick up Akito to carry him on his back before feeling a sharp pain in his back and immediately standing back up.

"Err, Takao. You still good to carry him for now?" He questioned, bringing Takao to shake his head and laugh as he picked the now bound boy up and flung him over his shoulder, facing back away from him.

In silence the group began to head on their way, carefully navigating their path out of the forest as Kisa's eyes continued to wander over to the boy on Takao's back. She could be wrong, but from what she had seen over the course of their engagement he seemed to almost be restraining himself, only attacking to distract and delay them, not to kill them. Why would an S-Rank missing ninja who had just attempted to assassinate a Kage be so gentle on his captors? Was this really Deidara of the Akatsuki?


	2. Chapter 2: The Kiri Three

Some time later Akito's eyes slowly opened, revealing the ground below as it slowly passed by before darting down towards his body. It seemed that the man known as Takao was carrying him on his shoulder, evident by both his height from the ground and the blonde locks of hair that occasionally blew towards him in the wind.

Immediately Akito attempted to move his hands which once again were bound, causing him to attempt to use the mouth's on his palms to chew his way to freedom, though it became apparent rather quickly that this time around they had not only tied him up with but has also sealed his hands, disrupting chakra flow and preventing him from using any form of ninjutsu with his hands, including his kinjutsu and his kekkei genkai as well.

In annoyance the injured boy's bruised eyes began to look around for any way he could possibly escape, only to lock on to Kisa just as Takao felt the boy's movements and grinned.

"Someone's awake." He stated, immediately drawing Kisa's eyes to him as Jun, who had been walking in front of Takao, spun around and moved behind him to great their bounty.

Placing his hands on his hips, Jun formed a wide smile at the sight of their S-Rank prisoner, still struggling to keep his eyes open. "Well well, welcome back to the land of the living."

"Why are… you d-doing this? Where a-are you taking m-me?" The boy asked, causing Jun to laugh as he did so.

"Why? Because you are Deidara of Iwagakure, more recently of the Akatsuki, that's why. The man who attacked Sunagakure, abducted the Kazekage and attempted to murder him, that's why." Jun began to explain, angering the boy.

"D-Deidara? You really think I am Deidara?" He questioned angrily as he clenched his fists tighter. "Y-You've got to be kidding me… did y-you even read his description in t-the bingo book, or d-did all of that hair gel seep into y-your… brain?" He questioned as Jun scowled and prepared to respond to the boy's insult, though it was Kisa who spoke first as she stepped between Jun and the boy.

"Physical appearances can be changed, but that kekkei genkai of yours can not, nor could the kinjutsu on your hands. If you are not Deidara, then why do you posses both of these rare traits?" She countered, crossing her arms as Akito's eyes locked to hers from a moment before letting his head hang in exhaustion.

Previously his connection to Deidara was something he often kept secret, not wanting to associate himself to his traitorous kin any more than he had to. But it seemed that secrets were going to get him nowhere now and in the hope that telling the truth would bring him some good fortune, Akito took a deep breath.

"Deidara… is my cousin." He began, showing not only his continued his exhaustion and pain but pain in his words as well. "We are b-both members of the Explosive Corps, a-and this kinjutsu was g-given to me by the Tsuchikage to help bring him to j-justice." The boy added, bringing Jun to scoff. Did he take them as fools?

"That's all well and good, but I don't buy it. There is only one way we are going to truly find out who you are, and that is by turning you in at a bounty post to processing." He stated as he forced his way between Kisa and Akito, staring the latter almost directly in the face to try and intimidate him.

Staring at the boy for a moment or two longer, Jun's scowl slowly turned into another cocky grin as he ran one hand through his hair and looked at his fellow teammates. "Let's keep moving. If we plan to stop to make something for lunch we need to make it at least another three miles." He ordered before again turning his attention to back to Akito.

"I don't want to hear a word out of you, do you hear me? You are going to be sticking with us for a while, and I strongly believe that time will be most comfortable for you this way. Understood?" He threatened.

Hearing Jun's threat Akito refrained from responding and instead lowered his head in defeat as the group once again set out on their way. He hadn't held high hopes that his attempt at reasoning with them would work, but it was clear now that he would not be let go; at least not in time to pick up Deidara's trail. This was the closest he had ever came to capturing his rogue cousin, and he had failed.

While Jun seemed unconvinced by the boy's story, Kisa couldn't help but play in back in her mind. She still stood firm in her believe that he could have easily cut and dyed his hair to fit in and avoid detection, but somethings still hadn't sat right with her.

If this boy truly was Deidara why wouldn't whoever knocked him out in the woods take him to collect the bounty themselves, and better yet, who would be strong enough to easily knock out an S-Rank missing ninja?

This along with her confusion as to why the boy had not purposely tried to kill her, Takao or Jun caused her to doubt their leader's judgment, even if she wouldn't dare argue that fact with him.

Jun had a habit of being right even when he was wrong, a byproduct of the rather large ego he walked around with at all times, and while she had no problem correcting his mistakes, she would never do so in front of a potentially deadly adversary and risk portraying weakness amongst their team.

Swaying slowly back and forth with Takao's footsteps, Akito's closed eyes slowly opened and stated at the man's feet, analyzing something peculiar. With the way he was being carried the injuries he had sustained should have been causing him great pain, and he would have assumed he would still be feeling some form of lingering effect from his concussion

He wasn't fully healed, not by a long shot, but he no longer felt the need to double over in agony. Had he been unconscious long enough to heal those wounds enough to take the edge off?

"How… how long w-was I out?" He questioned weakly to the group despite Jun's orders, causing Takao to speak up.

"About fifteen hours, give or take. You slept right through the night." The man replied, adding a new level of confusion to Akito's question. Fifteen hours was nowhere near long enough to heal his wounds, let alone allow his bones to mend, even to the degree they were now. If that wasn't the case, then what had caused the relief he was feeling?

It was at this point that the point caught a glimpse of Kisa from the corner of his eye; her blue hues staring at him for a moment or two before hastily looking away as his own darted towards her.

"Did… d-did you heal me?" He questioned softly, angering Jun who, despite letting his first question go unpunished, stepped back and grabbed the boy's hair, raised his head harshly in the air and stared him down.

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough before, Iwa scum. Be. Quiet." The team leader again instructed as he continued to tug Akito's head upwards, causing him to grind his teeth and grunt in pain.

Enraged, the boy's dark eyes stared back into Jun's with both hurt and anger, wishing his hands were unbound so that he could strangle the man before him. He could only bite his tongue so much before allowing some of his anger to seep through.

"F-Fuck you." He snarled, creating a grin to form across Jun's face before he let go of his head and smacked harshly across the face, flinging his head to the side as blood ran from his previously busted lip.

"Quiet." Jun again stated as he turned towards Kisa who looked away in relative apathy. "If he keeps talking feel free to knock him out." He stated before again moving a bit ahead of the trio, leaving the girl to once again look to the boy whose head now hung low once more.

She would have a hard time feeling bad about his treatment given everything that had occurred between their two villages, and more specifically her family. But, feeling some sort of obligation as a medical-nin to answer him, she looked away and nodded.

"I did." She stated, causing the boy's eyes to dart up to her through his hanging hair. She was a medical ninja as well as possessing such a powerful and unique kekkei genkai? First their leader showed skills as both a tracker-nin as well as a practitioner of advanced sealing techniques, now Kisa; everyone in this team had some sort of a dual role, creating a highly effective squad of capable shinobi.

Seeing his mouth open to speak Kisa quickly cut the boy off. "I wouldn't recommend speaking if I were you, not if you knew what was good for you. Jun has made his orders clear and neither he nor I will hesitate to put you under for the rest of the day, understood?" She questioned in a harsh tone, returning her eyes back to his as she did so.

"All I did was ensure that you wouldn't scream the entire time we carried you while keeping you from dying due to shock. You are worth much more to us alive than dead, Iwa. Take that as a gift." The girl finished, holding her cold stare long enough to watch the boy's eyes return to the dirt below him.

Even if she did only heal him for that reason she still was able to reset his broken arm and ribs, saving him from a world a pain while also keeping him from bleeding any more than he already had.

Swallowing nervously, Akito disregarded Kisa's advice and Jun's warning. "Thank y-you." He said softly without looking up as he closed his eyes, catching the girl off guard and causing her eyes to widen. Did he really not want to listen? Why would he risk being beaten to thank her? They had captured him, beaten him; was he really that stupid?

Hearing Akito's voice once again Jun spun around and began to head towards them but as he did so Kisa instinctively lifted her hand up and waved him off. "It's fine." She stated, knowing that he did not seem intent on speaking again, to which Jun huffed and turned back around.

Within the hour the group made their way to a natural clearing off to the side of the road that would be suitable for a temporary camp, just long enough for the three Kiri ninja to take a rest and grab something to eat.

Tying Akito to a tree with his chakra rope to ensure he could not escape, Jun set off to gather a few fish from a nearby stream, leaving Kisa and Takao to start a fire.

"Did Jun happen to tell you what exactly this client we are meeting wanted us to do?" The kunoichi questioned as she dropped a handful of loose sticks into the ring of rocks Takao formed, to which the man shrugged.

Using a small bomb tag to ignite the wood she had placed in the fire Takao shrugged, keeping watch over their prisoner from the corner of his eye. "No, he didn't. He mentioned that the mission was labeled as some sort of goods retrieval, but that was about it. No specifics."

With a huff Kisa too looked towards the boy as he sat tied to the tree, his head lowered though she could clearly see his eyes through his hair as they stared at both her and Takao. "I hate when he does this. Even after all of these years he still treats us like he can't trust us with information." She complained making Takao laugh.

"Makes you wonder why we are still such good friends with him, doesn't it?" He questioned as the girl shook her head and turned towards the stream as Jun returned with several fish on the edge of a long wire he had used to skewer the fish as they swam.

"Who's hungry?" He question, tossing his bounty towards Takao who more often than not ended up cooking most of their meals due to his agrarian background and previous experience helping cook during his childhood.

Catching the fish with his hand just as Jun's chakra diffused from the wire, Jun quickly examined the six large carp and grinned. "Me, for sure. We haven't really had a good meal since we set out, and fighting that one yesterday really made me hungry. Any old preparation good with you two?" He questioned as Jun nodded.

"That's fine with with me, Kisa?" He asked, looking over towards her as she shrugged. "I'm fine with whatever." She replied, looking towards the stream and then back to Jun.

"Can I talk to you for a moment while Takao makes lunch?" She questioned her team leader who immediately nodded and motioned for her to lead the way before following behind.

Watching the two walk away towards the water Takao smirked and shook his head. He knew that the two of them were about to butt heads, likely over Jun's lack of information on the mission at hand.

"Crazy." He muttered to himself as he began digging through his backpack for his cooking equipment while across the opening Akito watched the two disappear behind the tree line, curious as to what was so important that they could not discuss it with him present.

Coming to the edge of the water Kisa stopped and turned back towards Jun as he placed his hands in his pockets and grinned. "What's up?"

"I know I've already asked, but I would really like to know the details of this assignment, before we meet with the client." Kisa asked, causing Jun to tilt his head to the side a bit.

"What, you don't trust me?" He immediately responded as Kisa shook her head.

"No, it's not that." She replied, looking out towards the stream. "It's just that with everything that has been going on in the world it would be nice to know what we are getting into before we get there, especially with a possible Akatsuki member to keep an eye on."

Hearing her continued doubt that the man in their custody was Deidara, Jun sighed. "Listen, there is no doubt in my mind that this man is Deidara. The kekkei genkai, the kinjutsu; the possibility that he is anyone other than him is too low.. Remember what the citizens in that town said?" He asked as Kisa sighed, recalling exactly what he spoke of.

The only reason they managed to find the boy was because of the reports from the people inside of the waystation town who claimed the damage had been caused by two men, one of which attempted to create what appeared to be clay creatures that exploded; Deidara's trademarked ability.

While the boy had not created creatures in front of them he did show that he was capable of creating other forms of clay weapons, creating a rather strong feeling of reasonable doubt that Jun seemed to believe wholeheartedly, even if she was not entirely convinced.

"That only furthers my concern, Jun." She replied without acknowledging his opinion one way or the other, causing Jun to sigh and shake his head with a grin.

"Well if it makes you feel any better you know about as much as I do, really." He admitted as she turned her attention back to him, just in time to see him habitually run his hand through his hair to ensure it was still slicked back. "There weren't too many details readily available, but once I saw that the mission request was filed under asset recovery and that it had a rather large sum attached to it, I couldn't say no."

So he really didn't know what they were getting into? Jun had done a lot of stupid things over the nearly twelve years she had known him, but accepting an assignment without at least himself knowing what was happening was not often one of them. Was this a sign of how bad things had truly become in Kiri?

Instead of saying anything Kisa simply nodded in acknowledgement and turned back towards the stream; her thoughts venturing in several different directions as Jun stepped forward towards her, a bit concerned.

Ever since her father's death way back when they were in the academy she had developed a sort of quiet, reserved demeanor, often not speaking much and always keeping her guard up. But since their capture of the rogue Iwa boy the day prior she seemed quieter than usual, causing him to worry.

"Are you alright, Kisa? You've been awfully quiet since we captured that little shit yesterday." Jun stated, catching her eye over her shoulder for a moment before she returned her gaze back to its previous target.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, though Jun, knowing this wasn't the case, continued.

"Is it him?" Jun questioned, once more drawing her attention. "I know you can't stand any of them. We will be rid of him soon, I promise." He added as she stared into his eyes.

Why was he pestering her with this? He already knew that she couldn't stand any member of Iwagakure's shinobi ranks, why state it over again? Did he really think that she couldn't handle being around him?

"Thank you Jun, but I am fine. His presence is nothing to me." Kisa stated before turning away from him. "You can head back if you want, I'm sure the food will be done soon. I do have to ask, however; do you plan on letting him eat?" She questioned as Jun, who seemed a bit disheartened by Kisa's attempt to shut him out, smirked.

"Hell no." He replied in an attempt to cheer her up, watching her hair blow in the afternoon breeze for a moment before turning to walk away, unaware that his statement had actually resulted in the opposite effect.

She couldn't stand Iwa shinobi, yes, but starving them while their prisoner was something she deemed below her, even if the boy was a rogue Iwa ninja. This was a tactic she could see Iwagakure or even Kumogakure using, and she viewed herself in a much higher regard than that.

Making his way back to their temporary campsite alone, Jun immediately caught a sly look from Takao who had already cleaned, descaled and filleted the fish which he now placed over a large metal pan and began to fry with an assortment of spices from his field pantry kit.

"Well? How did it go?" He questioned as Jun grimaced, knowing immediately what he meant by his question.

"Fine. Kisa just wanted to know about the client, but like I told you guys before we left, I don't have any details." The orange haired leader replied, to which Takao raised a brow.

"Oh? Does that mean you're not taking her out to dinner when we get back like you constantly ramble on about when she's not listening?" The brute questioned, instantly turning Jun's face bright red as his temper began to flare.

"S-Shut up Takao, I never said that!" He hastily retorted, pointing towards his friend who scoffed.

"Maybe not those exact words, but it was pretty close." Takao replied as the infuriated leader of their team stormed closer.

"Shut up before she hears you and thinks you are serious!" He yelled, just as Kisa walked back into the camps perimeter and stared at the two of them.

"Serious about what?" She questioned, causing Jun to abruptly scream and spin around, waving his hands frantically.

"O-Oh, Kisa, nothing! Jun here was just joking about stuffing the fish with hot sauce!" He frantically tried to cover, spinning around to Takao who's evil grin spread from nearly ear to ear. "Right Takao?" He questioned, causing Takao to laugh more before turning back towards the fish to keep them from burning.

"Sure, that's what I meant." He chuckled as Jun stared at Kisa, waiting for her to continue walking towards her seat by the fire before sighing in relief and sitting in his own spot with a loud thud, casting daggers at Takao with his eyes.

Within a few minutes the fish was ready to eat and the hungry trio wasted no time digging in so that they could easily maintain their tight schedule, leaving Akito to watch with a growling stomach as the three talked back and forth.

He had gone a little over two days now without a meal of any kind, having given up eating in favor of catching up with Deidara's trail; a decision he now regret.

Seeing his lingering eyes watching them as they ate, Kisa watched as he looked directly towards her and then shifted down towards the ground, not wanting to cause any sort of hassle. This did not stop Jun from taking notice to Kisa's own eyes however, and upon seeing what she was looking at grinned.

"Oh Iwa, I'm sorry. Did we forget about you?" He questioned as he stood up from his seat atop a small rock and walked towards him, carrying one of the piece of fish on the metal stick Takao had inserted into it for both ease of cooking as well as handling while eating.

Seeing him stand, Kisa and Takao's eyes immediately locked to Jun, watching as he walked directly over to Akito and stood in front of him, holding the fish at just the right height for his mouth to reach it.

"Go ahead, take a bite." He stated, causing Akito to lift his head up and stare at the man; the same man who just hours before slapped him across the face for talking. Was he really going to feed him now after all of that? Still, despite his doubt, he couldn't deny the growling hunger inside of him.

Hesitantly the boy lifted his head out towards the fish and opened his mouth, but as he was just about to take a bite, Jun pulled the fish back away from him, causing his bite to contain nothing but air as he laughed.

"Come on, did you really think I was going to give you some of my food?" He questioned between laughs, catching a scowl from the boy at his feet. "We need to keep you weak, Deidara. Wouldn't want you to gain some of that fearsome Akatsuki strength back, would we?" He taunted, angering his prisoner.

"Trying t-to impress her… you w-wouldn't be so tough if I-I wasn't tied up. Don't you think she sees that?" He questioned, referencing ever so slightly what he had heard Jun and Takao talking about a short while ago, forcing Jun's grin to disappear into a small scowl.

Without warning the man suddenly pushed his right foot to Akito's left shoulder as hard as he could, forcefully grinding his slightly healed arm into the tree and causing him to yelp in pain.

"Keep your mouth shut, Iwa, or I will shut it or you. Your head is worth plenty on it's own. Remember that." He threatened before releasing the boy and turning back towards his friends, both of whom watched him with blank faces.

Coming back to the campfire and sitting down Jun could sense that his anger may have overcame him, causing his joke to go to far, but it wasn't until he looked up at Kisa after more then fifteen seconds that someone said something.

"What is wrong with you?" Kisa immediately questioned in a stern, unamused tone, causing Jun to huff.

"I may have gone too far." He replied as Kisa scoffed.

"Unbelievable." She scolded as she herself then stood up, took a fresh piece of fish from the fire and began to walk towards Akito. Staring her team leader down from the corner of her eye, Kisa focused on their captive who, in light of Jun's stupidity, allowed his head to hang low as a cold sweat built up on his face from the pain in his arm.

Stopping before him, Kisa held the fish out for him to take a bite. "Here." She stated in a cold tone, though with the memory of Jun's trick still fresh in his head, Akito refrained from lifting his head.

"Come on." She again instructed after a moment, watching the boy's eyes dart to the food briefly before returning to the ground. "I don't want it." He said softly in defeat, though the girl remained holding the food in front of him impatiently.

Her gesture wasn't out of kindness or compassion, it was done to show that she was above such a horrid thing as starving someone, or so she believed. "Take a bite." She again instructed, this time warranting Akito's eyes to shoot up to hers rather than the food dangling in front of him.

"Why, so y-you can pull it away too?" He questioned, knowing that this action was in direction violation to the one her squad leader had just done, surprising her. Was he really not going to eat because of what Jun did? Did he fear retribution that much, or did he think she would stoop that low as well?

"I'm not going to pull it away from you. I wouldn't do something so savage and low, even if I'm sure you would." She replied sharply as he eyes remained locked to hers, widening gradually as the woman knelt down so that her eyes would be level with his.

From here she could see that he was still in pain and harboring the same broken, uncertain look in his eyes as yesterday.

"Eat." She once more instructed, her eyes darting back and forth between his, leaving him confused. Her words were harsh, derogatory and fueled by anger, but at the same time he could see there was a bit of concern lingering in her eyes, making him want to believe that she was telling the truth.

Slowly Akito reached forward and took a small bite of the fish before chewing, swallowing and coming back for more as both Jun and Takao watched on from the distance; the former scowling in disgust.

Even if his behavior was a bit on the extreme side he couldn't believe she would actually feed someone she hated so much, just to prove a point.

With a scoff he turned back towards the fire to continue eating his own food and looked up at Takao, who stared at him in silence. "What?" He questioned as Jun shook his head and took another bite of his fish.

"That went well." He mocked with a single chuckle, ushering in a lingering silence that lasted long enough for Akito to take another bite or two before a powerful rustle in the trees around them swept by, causing Jun's ears to perk up as he lifted his head and looked around.

Thinking nothing of it Takao continued to eat, watching out of the corner of his eyes as his friend continued to look around before raising his hands together to form a hand sign. "What? It was just the wind." He stated, though Jun shook his head.

"That's just it, there wasn't any wind." He replied while at the same time activating his sensory abilities to look around them, but before he had the chance to pinpoint the source of the noise a group of nine masked and concealed men appeared in a circle around the two seperate groups; four around the campfire and five around the tree Akito was tied to, separating the group of travelers from one another.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" One of them men asked as instantly Kisa, Takao and Jun stood to their feet and looked around at the men, drawing their weapons as Akito watched, still chained to the tree.

Judging by their numbers it seemed highly likely that they were hunting Deidara as well, and if that were the case they were all in danger, not just him.

"Looks like you've got yourself a prisoner, and from Iwagakure too." One of them shrouded men stated as another laughed. "What a coincidence, we've been hunting an Iwagakure ninja as well. Isn't that fascinating." He added as Jun ground his teeth. He too understood that this was some sort of hunting party after Deidara, but they couldn't have him.

Not only had they found him first but they were the one who had capture him, and he would be damned if he was going to allow them to step in and make off with their prize.

Standing by herself and somehow warranting an additional shinobi to deal with, Kisa swallowed nervously while keeping her outwardly calm appearance. Five shinobi would have been difficult to deal with as a team, but on her own? "You've got to be kidding me." She complained under her breath, steadily holding her kunai at the ready.

"Gentlemen," Jun began as he walked towards the first man who spoke, assuming he was the leader of the pack. "I highly doubt this is the Iwa ninja you are looking for. What we have here is nothing more than a common criminal; a shinobi who gambled his money away and now owes a great debt to our employer. This-" He began to lie, only to stop as the leader of the pack interrupted Him.

"Oh, is that so?" He questioned aloud, stepping towards Jun as he eyed both him and Takao, as well as Akito from a distance, behind his mask. It appeared that all nine were from Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass, as visible by the approaching man's forehead protector.

"Do you always tie up common thieves with chakra rope?" The leader questioned, making it clear to Jun that his plan was not working. Without saying another word the Kiri shinobi charged forward and locked his blade with his Kusa counterpart, staring him down; determined not to lose his bounty.

"You may have us outnumbered, but I assure you we won't be outclassed by some ragtag group of second rate ninja." He threatened, causing the enemy shinobi to laugh.

"This is our ground, child. I assure you that class will have nothing to do with it!" He exclaimed, parrying Jun away and attempting to strike him before evading a water technique as Takao drew both of his weapons.

"We need to get to Kisa, they will be going after that boy." He stated as he used one sword to block a Kusa ninja's sword and the other to strike back to no avail.

Knowing Takao was right, Jun's eye shifted towards Kisa as she too began to engage the five shinobi surrounding her. "Let's go!" He yelled as turned towards the girl, but stopped as a large rock wall emerged from the ground and divided the battlefield into two fronts.

"You're not going anywhere!" One of the shinobi exclaimed as he jumped down from on top of the wall and headed towards Jun, locking their kunai together before being blown back against the wall by a sudden release of water from Jun's mouth.

This wasn't good. They were outnumbered two to four, but she was facing off against five targets at once, and even though he didn't doubt Kisa's ability to defend herself, he couldn't help but be irritated. If she wouldn't have insisted on feeding their prisoner, she wouldn't have been separated from the group.

"Watch yourself Kisa!" He yelled as he turned his focus back to the fight at hand, tag-teaming with Jun back and forth to hold their attackers at bay while, on the other side of the wall, Kisa remained still, watching as the five shinobi around her slowly began to creep inward to pressure her.

Eyeing each of them individually Kisa drew an imaginary ring around herself and waited for the first of them to cross the line, at which point she darted towards them and immediately attacked.

Grinding the steel of her blade across her foe's, the girl swiftly unleashed a fierce flurry of taijutsu strikes, driving the attacker back until her attention was forcibly switched to another as he slashed at her with his sword and attempted to prepared to unleash some sort of kenjutsu with his blade, only to suddenly become frozen to the ground up to his knees.

"What?!" He exclaimed as Kisa then shoulder rammed him, breaking him free from the ice as he flew away, while also throwing the kunai in her hand at another of the men.

"You might be fast, but that won't save you!" A third shinobi cried out as he formed hand signs with his hands and stomped his left foot, causing a large rock to fly up into the air in front of him before spinning around and kicking it at a high rate of speed towards Kisa.

Seeing the oncoming attach the kunoichi somersaulted out of the way, barely avoiding the rock which then raced towards Akito, who upon seeing the projectile used all the strength he could muster in his legs to jump, sliding up the tree and avoiding the stone as it slammed full speed into where he had been sitting.

Realizing how close of a call the strike had been Akito sighed in relief as his feet touched down on the boulder, though his eyes quickly returned to Kisa as she avoided another large rock missile and then a bolt of lightning from another of the men, who once again began to close in on her.

She was certainly skilled, but how long could she hold up against so many opponents? If she were to unbind him from the tree he could assist her in exchange for his freedom, but it seemed the odds of that were slim to none.

"Behind you!" He exclaimed in a raspy voice, alerting Kisa to the approach of yet another sword wielding ninja, though as she dodged his attack and countered knocking the man back, she looked to the boy in annoyance.

"I don't need your help, Iwa!" She replied in an irritated voice, summoning a wall of ice to deflect a handful of ranged weapons being tossed her way before turning her attention back to the man who had cast lightning at her before, knowing that she would be susceptible to his attacks more than the others so far.

Jumping over Takao's shoulders as he crossed his swords to block an attack, Jun drew a scroll from his pouch and bit his lip, smearing his blood across the text and summoning a large axe head at the end of a long chain.

"Eat this!" He yelled as he spun the weapon around and collided it's large head into the a rock wall summoned to protect his target, though the weapon smashed right through and smashed the man with pieces of his defenses, sending the user flying through the air.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed as he touched to the ground and allowed Takao jump over him now, bringing the full force of his blades down atop another shinobi's, creating a fog of sparks as the man then launched a combination of furious swings while also forming and shooting water-formed senbon, constantly striking them and forcing them to stagger back.

Annoyed by this the swordsmen parried both of Takao's blades away and kicked the man back, but as he did so Takao reacted. Slamming the blade in his right hand into the ground so that it stuck standing up, he reached out and grabbed the shinobi's ankle before forcefully swinging him up over his shoulder and into the ground below.

"Guah!" He exclaimed as he cracked his skull off of the hard ground, only to be tossed through the air like a shuriken towards his friends, toppling one of them over as he attempted to stop his flight.

Seeing this Jun laughed loudly while swinging his chained weapon around him, ready to strike. They were putting a hurting on the group, but all four continued to stand back up and keeping going, especially the leader who had stayed out of the fray as much as possible, but now seemed to be preparing to intervene.

"Like I said, second rate ninja." He taunted as Takao retrieved his blade from the ground and regrouped with his team mate, wiping blood from his face as it ran from a small laceration on his cheek.

"I'd argue third rate, really." Takao added, causing Jun to chuckle once more, though as the two laugh the leader of the Kusa team steps forward and holds his right hand out while forming a hand sign with his left, instantly causing wind to whirl around him fiercely as both Jun and Takao's eyes widen a bit.

"So that's how he was able to mimic the sound of the wind in the trees." Takao said as Jun smirked. A wind release user in this part of the world was somewhat uncommon, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued.

Preparing to engage all four shinobi once again, Jun took a deep breath, eyeing all of their moves as he did so. This fight was starting to drag on, extending the time it would take for them to regroup of Kisa and ensure that Deidara was not taken, causing him to become inpatient. This needed to end quickly.

Once again engaged in a fierce hand to hand battle with her adversaries, Kisa slid to a stop in front of Akito, panting heavily from the intense fighting she had been enduring alone. She seemed to be steadily wearing down her opponents with her relentless attacks, but with their friends continuously bailing one another out when she neared a finishing blow and forcing her to start all over again, it seemed they were doing the same.

Akito could see her exhaustion as well, concerning him. How long would she be able to keep the battle in her favor? They were clearly tiring her out on purpose, likely with the intent to swarm her when she was tuckered out; would the other's finish their fight in time to help her?

"Kisa-" Akito attempted to speak once more, only to catch the girl's glare from the corner of her eye, causing him to bite his tongue as she once again pushed forward towards and advancing foe.

"Let's go little girl!" He exclaimed as he drew a handful of shuriken and threw them towards her, but as he threw them Kisa turned the ground below him to ice, causing him to slip and fall.

Just as soon as he hit the ground two more of the shinobi charged towards her, prompting her to attempt the same tactic, though they both jumped over it and ran along the side of the massive wall between the two groups towards, attempting to pelt her with handful after handful of ranged weapons.

Grunting in annoyance the kunoichi avoided the first wave and formed a ice wall to stop the barrage, but as she slid to a stop a pair of hands suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed her ankles, pinning her in place.

Caught off guard Kisa gasped in pain and looked up as Kunai pierced into her left arm before she could parry it away, alerting her to an even bigger threat as across the opening one of the shinobi summoned a large, solid steel fuma shuriken and prepared to throw it at her with a hand sign at the ready.

"Let's see you freeze this, bitch!" The man exclaimed as he threw the weapon and accelerated it with the wind, forcing her to act quick.

Forming ice senbon in her hand the girl darted the razor sharp weapons into the hands at her ankles, causing the man to yelp in pain and pull her down deeper into the ground, allowing her to sink to her knees and fall onto her back as the shuriken whizzed by, straight towards Akito once again.

Aware of the incoming attack this time, Akito's eyes narrowed. If he was going to break free and help, this was his chance.

Using every bit of focus he could the boy took a deep breath and planted his feet to the boulder below, channeling his all of his chakra there as well. He hadn't tried to move ground like this without hand signs before, but as long as he was able to move it just a few inches with a Rock Collapse technique, he believed his plan would work.

Waiting until the last second before the shuriken's strike, Akito pushed as hard as he could against the back of the tree and forced the large boulder back into the ground, allowing the weapon a clear shot into the tree.

With a loud crack the weapon tore into and straight through the tree as Akito withdrew his feet, severing it from it's stump and sending it crashing towards the ground, filling the air with a cloud of dirt and dust and allowing Akito to slip his bound hands out before it hit the ground.

Having witnessed the boy's escape attempt, Kisa's teeth ground together in anger. "No!" She growled as she tried to pull herself up out of the ground, infuriated by both the loss of her prisoner and the ninja who continued to hold onto her ankles despite his injuries.

How could he activate a technique without being able to conduct any hand signs? He was labeled as a highly skilled shinobi capable of advanced ninjutsu techniques, but could he really be capable of doing that? If that were the case, why hadn't he tried to run before?

"Damnit, the boy is gone!" One of the Kusa ninja on the wall exclaimed as he and his partner jumped to the ground, angrily looking to the man who had thrown the shuriken as he held his hands up to show his innocence.

"It's not my fault, I was just doing what you told me to do!" He objected as another huffed and pointed towards Kisa, who still remained locked to the ground as blood ran from her injured arm.

"Kill the girl and let's go. We can't wait, we have to catch that Akatsuki scumbag!" He exclaimed as he drew a kunai from his pouch and stepped towards Kisa, who did the same to defend herself, but before either had the chance one of the men pointed back at the tree.

"Wait, someone's coming!" He exclaimed as the man approaching Kisa stopped and looked up, spotting the boy they were hunting just as he took his first step onto the stump. "Could he really be that stupid?" The man added, but as he did Akito dashed forward in a blitz straight towards the nearest Kusagakure nin.

Unable to react fast enough to even fully raise his weapon the ninja gasped as the boy slammed his left knee into his stomach, causing him to double over in pain before being kicked in the head by the boy's right foot, sending the kunai in his hand flying into the air.

Seeing the object Akito quickly snatched the blade in his mouth as he had done the day prior and charged forward towards the second shinobi along the wall, locking blades with the man and parry his weapon to the side before headbutting his nose, instantly spraying the ground with blood as he backed up and grabbed his face.

"Y-You bastard!" He exclaimed as Akito avoided his counter and slashed him across his chest, causing the man to cry out in pain and drawing the others to his aid while from her position on the ground Kisa watched in confusion. He came back? Why would he do that?

Regardless of why the boy came back he was proving to be quite the distraction, allowing her the opportunity to get back on her feet. Freezing the ground below to force the man holding her ankles to let go, Kisa quickly slid back and, unwilling to lose the bonus for bringing the boy in alive because of his own stupidity, pulled the blade from her arm and moved to intervene.

Staggering backwards after being struck in the face and loosing his only weapon, Akito ducked to avoid a sword swipe and watched as overtop of him flew a large block of ice, striking the man who swung at him and sending him barreling into the wall.

Without a break two more of the Kusa shinobi charged towards them, forcing both of them to avoid their strikes, though in his weakened state and unable to use chakra, Akito stumbled while avoiding a man's swing and took blow in his stomach causing him to collapse to a knee.

Seeing his faltering frame Kisa quickly backed up against him and formed a small ice dome overtop of them, looking down at the boy below her as she did so. It seemed that while his signless ninjutsu was impressive it had also taken a toll on him, as did the strike to his stomach.

"Get up. They will eventually break through the ice." She stated as a physically exhausted Akito looked up to her, focusing on her bleeding arm as she reached up and began to heal it a bit, just enough to stop the bleeding. "A-Are you alright?" He questioned between pants, catching a look of confusion from the girl who couldn't understand why she would be concerned for her well being.

"It's just a scratch." She replied, watching the boy struggle to catch his breath. It was possible that the shinobi that struck him in the stomach could have broken one of his ribs over again, but she didn't have time to heal him again. He would need to deal with it.

Looking back to the men outside as they began developing a strategy to break through the ice, Akito grunted. All five men seemed to be still capable of fighting, including the men he had wounded, who angrily stood waiting for the dome the fall so that they could exact their revenge.

Without his abilities or even weapons he would continue be a burden on her, forcing her to watch after him as well as her own wellbeing. "Kisa," He began as her eyes shifted to him at the displeasure hearing her name come from his mouth. "I think… I-I think you need to untie me." He stated, immediately catching a disgusted scowl.

"You have to be joking." She almost immediately replied, though as Akito stared at her, she knew he wasn't. Did he really think that she would let him go? Had he been kicked in the head too hard while she wasn't looking?

"Are you insane?" Kisa questioned after a moment as Akito looked around with a grunt of pain and annoyance.

"I know you d-don't like me, but you have to trust me. Y-You don't have to even unseal my palms or restore my chakra flow, just l-let me use my hands. Your friends c-could be in trouble." He retorted, but Kisa continued to stare at him in increasing disgust at his notion that she should trust him.

"Trust you? Is that some kind of joke? I will _never_ trust someone like you." She snapped in a harsh tone, turning her head back to the dome as a crack ran across wall separating them from their assailants; a crack that despite her best efforts she could not fix as the men outside continued to blast it repeatedly with multiple attacks.

She couldn't deny that an extra pair of hands would be great at the moment, but not his hands. He couldn't be trusted, not even a little.

"If I untie you and you run-" She added as Akito forcefully stood back to his and turned towards her, causing their eyes to lock together.

"I'm not g-going to run, I promise." The boy replied, listening as a loud crack pieced the air in the dome, signalling that the barricade was about to collapse and raising the girl's anxiety level exponentially.

Could that really be her only option; to release the man they worked so hard to secure and risk losing him? Were Jun and Takao really in trouble? She could more than likely handle the rest of them if she really pushed herself, but was it worth the risk?

"Please." He asked again, snapping her from her thoughts as she again stared into his eyes, once again feeling glued to the dark spheres.

She had become use to reading people's emotions through their body language, especially their eyes, and as much as she hated to admit it, it seemed that he was telling the truth. Or, atleast, part of her hoped so.

Against her better judgment Kisa forcibly turned him around and placed her left hand on his wrists while with the other she formed a series of hand signs, breaking Jun's connection to the chakra rope before untying the boy's hands.

Relieved that he could once again move his arms, Akito immediately rubbed his wrists and looked at his hands; his palms still encased in a paper seal that wrapped around his gloved hands as Kisa anxiously watched.

"So what's your plan now, Iwa?" She questioned as they boy looked to her and then to the rapidly deteriorating ice dome in front of him. There was only one thing he really could do.

"Fight."


	3. Chapter 3: Grasscutter

Slamming into the wall from a sudden downburst of wind from his opponent Jun grunted in pain, watching as Takao used both of his weapons to duel two adversaries at once.

The wind-wielding leader of the hunter group was proving difficult to deal with, and even though they were able to incapacitate one of their foes early on, it seemed that their battle had stagnated.

Wiping a trail of blood that ran from his busted lip, Jun stood back up to his feet and tossed the now broken chain in his hand to the ground in disgust.

When charged with his chakra the weapon should have been indestructible, but what he hadn't anticipated was for the enemy to use his wind to sever the chain with the weapon's own head.

"You're crafty, I'll give you that." He admitted as target stared him down and cracked his knuckles.

"Being from Kusa, the battleground of the five main villages, you have to be in order to survive." He retorted, watching as Jun looked up towards the top of the wall and tried to listen over the sound of Takao's clashing blades long enough to see if he heard Kisa fighting at all, though it was difficult to do so.

Seeing this the leader of the Kusa ninja smirked and chuckled under his breath. "Seems like everything is all quiet over there. I guess my boys got what they came for." He laughed, irritating Jun who, without warning, dashed forward towards the man and prepared the attack.

Expecting this the shinobi attempted to strike his adversary with several wind-accelerated kunai, though Jun dodged the attack and immediately fired back with a water bullet from his mouth which he used as a diversion to gain distance on the man and locked their weapons together.

"More than likely all of your 'boys' have been killed. The kunoichi they are facing is one of the best Kiri has to offer, and highly doubt any of your landscapers can take her down." Jun scoffed before engaging in a series of rapid strikes back and forth between himself and the Kusa nin, resulting in a large cut running across his right arm while at the same time dealing a deep slash to the man's stomach and forcing him to retreat back a short distance.

"You little-!" He exclaimed as he suddenly came under attack by Takao who, without the man noticing, incapacitated her remaining two allies and immediately turned his attention to him, flipping the odds in his and Jun's favor. 

Locking both of his swords to the enemy's kunai and forcing the man to grunt in irritation Takao, who's body now showed several cuts and bruises from his intense fight, grinned. "Let's finish him off and get to Kisa." He instructed Jun as his leader laughed.

"Let's do it."

Finallying bringing down part of the ice wall that the Kiri kunoichi and her Iwa prisoner were hiding behind, the shinobi outside began to slowly make their way towards their way into the dome, assembling a five man formation intended to keep the two inside from escaping.

"Alright, let's-" One of them men began as they neared the opening in an attempt to formulate a plan, but before he could finish both of the shinobi inside charged forward and engaged the two closest foes.

Seeing the boy charging at him, now with his hands untied, the man who Akito had slashed across the chest gasped. "He's unbound! Why?!" He screamed as he raised his blade and swung his blade, only to miss as Akito ducked and rapidly delivered two punches to his abdomen.

Screaming in pain as his already moderate wound now opened further, the shinobi spun his kunai around to stab it into Akito's back, though the boy spotted his move and reached up to parry the blade away with his forearm before striking his upper arm with such force that the bone instantly broke with a loud crack.

Choking out another cry he fell back and relinquished control of the blade in his hand, allowing Akito to once again requisition one of his opponent's weapons to use against them. Grabbing it in his right palm the boy charged towards another of his foes while to his side Kisa lashed out against her first target, pelting his left arm with senbon before closing the gap between them and grinding her blade to his.

"You bitch!" He exclaimed as he pushed away from her, formed hand signs and pushed his hands to the ground, instantly summoning rock spikes from the earth in an attempt to spear the girl.

This failed however as, upon spotting the attack, Kisa jumped in the air atop one of the spikes and slid down it towards the man, kneeing him the face and staggering him back before striking him multiple times with ice spikes in vital pressure points, causing him to collapse to the ground.

Witnessing the sudden loss of two of his comrades, the man who had accidentally set the boy free with his fuma shuriken grimaced. They had held a distinct advantage against the girl while she was alone, but now with a second combatant sided against them that advantage was gone.

Summoning not one but two more fuma shuriken, one in each arm, he took a deep breath and watched as the two remaining shinobi in his subdivision of their hunter squad prepared to fight back the advancing foes who now travelled side by side towards them.

"Come on you idiots, if we don't take her out and capture the boy my brother is going to be pissed!" He exclaimed as the two ninja in front of him both formed separate techniques; the one facing Kisa forming what appeared to be a lightning release while Akito's opponent inhaled deeply and prepared to unleash a large flow of fire.

Spotting this early Akito looked to Kisa who, upon seeing his eyes, returned her vision back to the enemy's in front with a small nod. She too could see they were matching their chakra to overpower theirs, or atleast hers, and that a joint attack was their best bet.

Dodging the first bout of lightning Kisa slid across the ground and watched as Akito jumped up over the incoming fireball, pointing towards the lighting caster and holding his hand open to signal for some sort of weapon.

Instantly Kisa reached out towards the boy's hand and, without actually making contact, created a handful of ice senbon in his fingertips which he then wasted no time redirecting back towards the man in front of her, catching him off guard.

Surprised by the attack the shinobi attempted to disrupt the senbon with his lightning, but unaware of the nature of Kisa's ice, accidentally supercharged the needles which then peppered his flesh, unleashing his own shockwave back against him and blowing him to the ground.

His partner downed, the fire user looked up as the boy flew over him and inhaled to unleash another large ball of fire, though he stopped as from below Kisa rushed towards him and punched him the gut, slamming him into the rock wall dividing the two groups before freezing him their with her kekkei genkai.

"No, wait!" He exclaimed as she then charged forward and struck him again, knocking him out cold as Akito landed beside her and looked to her with a small grin, warranting the girl to ever so slightly do the same before redirecting their attention towards the last remaining ninja, who grew increasingly nervous by the second.

"What about him?" He questioned Akito questioned as Kisa smirked.

"Full frontal assault?" She questioned, bringing the boy to nod before they both began to charge forward at their foe, bringing the man to grunt as he steadied his footing.

"S-Son of a bitch!" He stuttered nervously as the pair of shinobi quickly gained on him, forcing him to raise his hand to strike. With how easily they tore through the other four members of his team there was no way he would be able to incapacitate the girl and make off with the prisoner, dooming their apprehension of the boy.

At the same time however, he would be damned if he allowed the three Kiri shinobi to make off with the boy after all of the damage they had done, at least alive.

Rearing back the man threw both of his shuriken towards the two while using the wind to accelerate them both, but unlike last time and unbeknownst to the tag team duo he had attached wires to both, allowing him to control their flight characteristics.

As the attack flew towards them Akito watched as the two shuriken remained on a steady course to bypass both of them with easy, and as such prepared to strike.

"I'll go left, you go right!" He suggested as the girl silently agreed, but as both of the weapons prepared to pass them, they suddenly changed course and drifted straight towards them.

Seeing the unexpected change Kisa gasped and immediately stopped, summoning an ice wall to protect them as Akito, seeing the circumstances as well as a chance to strike, made a bold move.

Sliding towards the girl with his only kunai at the ready Akito reached into the pouch on the back of Kisa's belt and grabbed a whole handful of what he believed to be paper bombs while simultaneously, and accidentally, grabbing ahold of her behind, instantly causing the girl to shriek in disgust as her face turned bright red.

"Hey!" She screamed, but as she turned to punish the boy severely for his misdeed, he shoved all of the explosive tags into the ring on the end of his knife and jumped up onto the top of Kisa's ice wall.

"Eat this!" He exclaimed as he threw the kunai towards their foe with all of his might, watching as it whizzed rapidly towards his head, though the man scoffed at the sight.

"Really?!" He taunted as he parried the weapon away with ease, accidentally falling straight into Akito's trap as the bomb tags scattered around him and simultaneously detonated, blowing the man backwards at a high rate of speed into the trees and with enough force to knock him out cold.

In disbelief Kisa's eyes locked to the site of the explosion and then to Akito as he landed back on his feet and stumbled forward to a stop before placing his hands on his knees in exhaustion, lingering there for a moment or two. Part of her was surprised that his plan had worked while another was impressed by his reaction time.

But, above that, an even bigger part was annoyed by the boy's invasion of her privacy as well as his inappropriate touch, causing her to bite her lip in order to refrain from killing him herself.

"Next time ask before you shove your dirty hands in my things." She scolded as her ice wall disappeared, confusing the boy at first who, after a few seconds, realized what he had done.

Silently his face turned red as well, causing him to fear turning to face the girl as she approached behind him.

But much to his surprise she said nothing further, only looking to him for a moment with a lingering redness in her cheeks before surveying the battlefield around them.

As sickening as it was to imagine that she could ever work so efficiently with someone like him, it was difficulty for her to deny that they had indeed created a rather effective pair. All of this was done while only one of them was capable of utilizing ninjutsu, forcing her to wonder they would have been able to accomplish should he have had use of his arms.

After a moment the girl looked back up to the large stone wall still separating them from the rest of her team, prompting her to take a step towards it. "We have to go help Jun and Takao." She stated, but no sooner did the words leave her mouth that Takao called out to her from above.

"No need, we've handled it." He called down from above with a wide grin and both of his blades slung over his shoulders while to his side Jun looked down at the two of them in disbelief.

They had been their long enough to see the end of their tag team duel, as well as their small glance and smile at one another, twisting his stomach in disgust as anger coursed through his veins.

His chakra rope shouldn't have been able to be dispelled by any of the hostile ninja but it could be by his teammates, leading him to believe that it was Kisa who let their prisoner go, not their foes.

Why would she do that? Why would she release their catch and risk him getting away, or worse, killing her?

They had been in situations like this before and their usual strategy was to hold out long enough for the others to come to their aid, but freeing Deidara? Had she lost her mind?

Without delaying and offering the boy any more time to plan his escape, Jun immediately pulled a scroll from his pouch, unrolled it and placed it to the large stone wall beneath his feet.

Biting his thumb the man then smeared his blood across the parchment and only seconds later caused two weighted chains to spring from the ground behind Akito.

With a gasp the boy attempted to move but was too slow, allowing the two chains to cross over his shoulders and down past the opposite side of his hips, pinning him to the ground as they slowly began to retract.

"Ngg!" He growled as he struggled to remain standing while next to him Kisa watched in silence.

She knew that he would have to be bound again in order to be brought back into their custody, but she had planned to do it herself and in a far less aggressive way.

Unable to keep himself upright for more than a few seconds under the increasingly pull of the chains below Akito fell to his hands and knees; his eyes shifting up towards Kisa, promoting her to look away as Jun jumped down beside her.

"That's enough Jun, you have him." She contested immediately, though Jun instead walked straight towards her, clearly angered by her actions.

"Enough?" He replied as he walked directly up to her, placed one hand on his hip and pointed towards Akito with the other. "What happened? Why did you untie him?!" He yelled, to which Kisa scowled.

"I untied him because I needed something to distract those ninja, Jun. That's why." The girl immediately fired back, watching as Akito's left arm collapsed to his elbow, only furthering Jun's disgust.

"You untied him to help you? Have you lost your mind?!" Jun scolded as Takao jumped down beside him and prepared to intervene should the two begin to physically fight.

"He could have killed you!" Their leader continued as Kisa ground her teeth together in anger.

"Well he didn't, so why are we still talking about this? We won the fight and we still have our bounty." She retorted as Jun took another step towards her.

"You still don't get it. This boy, this thing, is a monster. A criminal, a terrorist and most importantly than that, he's from Iwa. He can't be trusted and I would think that you of all people would understand that." He again argued, though this time his words were enough to turn her head away from the struggling boy and back to him in rage.

"Don't you ever say something like that again." She snapped, clenching her fists as tightly together as she possibly could, catching Akito's eye as he continued to fight Jun's attack.

"You don't know the first fucking thing about what I went through, so you couldn't possibly know what I understand." The girl added before abruptly disappearing into woods to vent her anger alone, leaving her two remaining team mates and their prisoner standing still.

With a sigh Takao walked past Jun to where Kisa had been standing and looked around, observing how much damage she and the boy had inflicted in their foes as a team before turning to Jun. "Why did you do that?"

"I did what I had to. She needed to understand how bad of a decision it was to let this one go." He replied, turning and walking towards Akito as he did so before stopping just shy of the boy's hands.

"I'm not sure what you did to convince her to let you go, but I assure you that you will regret that." He stated before summoning another chain in his hands and stepping over the boy's back.

With a single hand sign he released the chains binding the boy to the ground, grabbed both of his arms and chained him at the wrists as tight as he could, causing Akito to cry out in pain.

"I-I was trying to help her." He said through clenched teeth as Jun grabbed ahold of the hair on the top of his head and pulled it back, forcing him to look him in the eye.

"Help her? Helping her would have been your people not slaughtering her father and his team after Yosuga Pass. That would have been help." He replied before letting go of Akito's hair and pushing his head down far enough to expose the back of his neck.

Holding the boy still with his left hand the man then formed hand signs with his right and placed his palm to his skin, burning a seal into his flesh as the boy grunted in pain. "W-What are you… d-doing to me?!"

Hearing his pain, Jun laughed. "A paralysis seal. Only I can break these chains, so your freedom will be up to me, Iwa. But this… is extra insurance." He replied as he finished placing yosugathe seal to the boys neck and stood up.

"Try to run, I will bring you down. It's temporary, but unless I release it or I die, you won't get it off." Jun added as he placed his boot to Akito's back to hold him down and fixed his hair, angering his prisoner.

Growling under his breath, Akito's eyes shifted from the man behind him to Takao and then towards the direction Kisa had disappeared in, thinking about what Jun had said.

Although the events that occurred at Yosuga Pass were not common knowledge within Iwagakure he was aware of what he meant, having been told about the event by the Tsuchikage during his time as his pupil. To many the events were more widely known for what followed; a systematic attack against Iwa shinobi by Kiri teams out and about across the continent.

Was her father one of the men killed during that even, or even after in the conflict that followed? Is that why she hated both him and Iwagakure so badly? Why would Jun use that against her?

"Well, I'll go get Kisa. I guess I should apologize after all, even if it was something she needed to hear." Jun stated as Takao looked to him and then back to the woods.

"Actually Jun, I think I better go. She's pretty pissed and it might be safer if you let me cool her down before trying to say you're sorry." He suggested as Jun laughed.

"Yeah, maybe that's a good idea." The redhead agreed, putting pressure on Akito's back with his foot as he did so. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on our friend here. Maybe I can find something of value on these fools before they wake up, and when you get back we will head out."

"Alright, I'll be back soon." Takao stated as he began to head out before turning back to Jun. "Try not to kill him while I'm gone. He did do us a favor by helping Kisa you know, whether you like it or not."

Watching Takao depart, Jun scoffed. He may have helped Kisa before they had the chance but that didn't make him a hero, nor did it give him a reason to trust or even like the boy.

"Well Iwa, looks like it's just you and me. Better behave yourself; the paralysis might not be permanent, but it will sure hurt like a bitch." Jun warned as Akito fruitlessly shifted his shoulders to try and knock Jun off of his back, only causing his foot to exert more pressure.

He was trapped once again, and unlike last time there was nobody there to act as a voice of reason, leaving him completely in the hands of someone who cared little about his comfort let alone his life.

With no other option the boy silently obeyed Jun's orders, sitting still in his hunched over state even after the man had wandered off to search for spoils of war though he never ventured out of the boy's line of sight, keeping an eye on his prize at all times.

It wasn't more than a half hour before the others returned back to the clearing, by which time the wall dividing the two battlegrounds had dropped, revealing the other four incapacitated ninja spread across the area.

Immediately upon hearing their footsteps Akito lifted his head, looking directly to the two as they walked side by side as Takao focused on him to ensure he was alive before looking out to Jun in the distance.

Kisa however kept her head down, casting only a small glance towards Akito before returning her eyes to the dirt below. He could tell she was upset even from a distance, and he couldn't blame her.

Using her father's memory to instill a point was wrong, and he still couldn't believe that someone who was supposed to be her friend would do something like that.

"Find anything good?" Takao questioned in an effort to return the situation to normal, to which Jun scoffed and shook his head.

"Just a few bucks in ryo, but nothing more." The man answered as he hesitantly began to make his way towards the two of them and his eyes focused on Kisa.

"Look, Kisa, I'm sorry." He began as he neared the girl, nervously swallowing as he did so. He too could see that she was still displeased with him, and he was unsure if his apology would be enough to rectify that. "I know bringing up your father wasn't right, but-"

Hearing her father brought up again, Kisa immediately cut the man off. "It's fine." She stated, refusing to look at the man as he stopped and blinked in curiosity.

"Oh." He replied, looking to Takao for advice though the man simply shrugged, unsure what Jun was looking for. Was that really all it was going to take for her to forgive him? Did she understand why he did what he did?

"Well… I guess if that is settled, we should get going. We have some ground to make up for thanks to these grasscutters." Jun stated after a brief silence as he placed both hands on his hips and looked around, completely missing the disheartened looked that formed across Kisa's face as she turned away from the group.

He may have believed the matter was settled, but she surely didn't think so. Arguing with Jun would get her nowhere, but that didn't mean she didn't have every desire to jump on him and beat him to a pulp.

They had known each other since their very first day in the academy and after being assigned to the same team they all became close friends, but apparently not close enough for Jun to realize what caused her pain, even if she didn't show it.

Unlike Jun, Akito noticed Kisa's emotional turmoil moments before she hid her face, causing him to focus on her further.

From what he had seen she tended to hide herself from the group, speaking as little as possible and portraying a hard demeanor that was designed to hide any sign of weakness, often by replacing it with anger.

But this offered a brief sight of something different and almost reminded him of himself following the tragedy that took everything from him, even to this day. Was this the result of her father's death as well?

Doing as Jun suggested Takao picked his backpack off of the ground near their former campsite before looking to the boy holding his position on his knees.

"What about our friend? Do you need me to carry him again Jun?" He questioned in a sarcastic manner as Jun laughed.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary. While you were gone we had a little discussion that resulted in a mutual understanding about running away, so he should be just fine to walk on his own without giving us a hard time." He chuckled as he turned towards the boy, catching the boy's eye.

"Isn't that right Iwa?" Jun questioned to which the boy looked away, silently cursing the bastard of a man as he laughed again.

"That's what I thought. Alright everyone, let's move out. Iwa, you stick close." He instructed as he set off, watching over his shoulder as Akito did as instructed.

Slowly and with every bit of energy he could muster he weakly stood to his feet before falling in line behind Jun while Takao moved in behind him, ensuring he couldn't easily run as Kisa followed behind.

For the next few hours the group walked in relative silence with only Jun and Takao exchanging words as both Akito and Kisa remained quiet, though occasionally she would sneak glances towards the boy.

It wasn't long after they set out that Kisa realized what exactly the understanding the two had come to was after seeing the seal burned into the back of his neck, and despite the fact that this was common for Jun as part of his fugitive recovery technique, she couldn't help be feel slightly uneasy about it given the circumstances.

They still hadn't proven the boy was Deidara, and given the fact that he didn't run when he had the chance and even helped fend off the men who attacked her, she was even less convinced.

As they continued to walk it became clear just how tired and weak the boy was. Several times he was forced to stop to take a breath only to be pulled along by their leader, offering him little chance to regain any strength.

Arriving at what they deemed to be a suitable campsite nearly six hours later, the group immediately began to set up for the night, including binding Akito go a tree to prevent his escape, just like Jun had done earlier in the day.

However, unlike before Jun did not bind his arms behind the tree and instead ran a chain through his bindings and wrapped it around the trunk, offering him a slightly more comfortable position to sleep in.

It wasn't ideal, but with how physically drained his body had become over the past two days it didn't take long for the boy to fall asleep, even amongst the sound of Takao and Jun's continued banter.

Lighting their campfire and illuminating the area around them, Takao looked over the previously shadowed boy beside them with a small chuckle. "Well that didn't take long." He stated as his laugh came to an end, catching both Kisa and Jun's eye.

"Wake him up. No reason why he should be sleeping when we aren't even ready to settle down yet." The red headed leader stated, bringing Kisa to open her mouth to object to his statement, though Takao beat her to it.

"Let him alone Jun. You'll kill him if you don't let him rest." He contested, silently receiving Kisa's gratitude as she looked back to the sleeping prisoner. He must have used every bit of energy he had in his body helping her, especially after his signless use of chakra to move the boulder at his feet.

With his objection came Jun's glare, as well as a quick snip of retaliation. "Well you just bought yourself first shift sentry duty, buddy." He stated, causing Takao to shrug in apathy as he remained kneeling by the fire, ensuring it wouldn't blow out prematurely.

"Whatever. Doesn't bother me any." The man chuckled as Kisa shook her head and stepped forward.

"No Takao, I will take first watch. I won't be able to sleep easily anyway, not with more hunter groups likely after our prisoner." She stated, bringing Takao to look up to her. Unlike their bullhead leaded he could tell there was something on her mind on top of her frustration with Jun, causing him to nod without any semblance of resistance.

"That's fine too. Just wake me up whenever you are ready to switch then, alright?" He replied as the girl nodded, watching Jun from the corner of her eye as he plopped down atop his bed roll and folded his arms beneath his head.

"You're going to make him soft, Kisa. Softer than he already is." He complained as Takao rolled out his own bed and sat at the edge, throwing a rock at Jun as he did so.

"Soft? How many shinobi did you take down today? One to my, how many? Three?" Takao laughed as Jun huffed and rolled over away from the fire while grumbling under his breath, forcing Takao to laugh as he too closed his eyes to sleep, leaving Kisa alone by the fire.

Without Jun and Takao's big mouths running constantly the night atmosphere quickly calmed down, leaving only the sound of the crackling fire, the occasional wind in the trees and the sound of the crickets as they chirped away in synchronized harmony.

It was peaceful, there was no doubt about that, but as much as she hoped it would help clear her head she couldn't keep from allowing her mind to wander. She was still angry with Jun's behavior, both towards her and towards their prisoner, who himself was part of the problem as well.

Looking over at the boy, who slept with his head hanging down towards his chest to hide his face, Kisa tilted her head to the side in thought. She could still feel the resentment inside of her towards him and his kind, but for some reason, looking at the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each passing breath, something seemed different.

She still had not figured the confusing boy out: a true missing-nin, especially one labeled as a terrorist and with a substantial bounty on their head, would have immediately hightailed it out of there with little concern for the fate of his captors.

But not this one. He immediately stood up and, even though his hands were bound, charged into the fray to assist her. They had been treating him with nothing but disrespect, mostly on Jun's part, yet he voluntarily offered to help. Was it because of his bindings? Was he afraid he wouldn't be able to get the rope off, or could it have been something else? If so, what?

Deep in thought, Kisa turned her vision to the fire for a moment as a strange feeling came over her; a feeling that started in her nose and moved up her sinuses until finally it released itself in the form of a sneeze that, despite her best efforts, she could not hold in, causing a small abrupt squeak that echoed through the clearing.

Quickly she placed both hands on her mouth and looked to both Jun and Takao to ensure that she had not woken ethier of them from their sleep before looking over towards their prisoner who, much to her dismay, slowly opened his eyes and scanned the area around him.

Focusing on Kisa as the fire illuminated her face and icy hair, Akito lifted his head slowly to check one more time for any sign of danger before returning to her eyes. "Are you-" He began, though before the words left his mouth Kisa spoke up.

"Don't. I can't listen to Jun's mouth anymore today." She warned, instantly silencing the boy but allowing their eyes to linger on one another for a moment before turning away. "Get some rest. It will be another long walk tomorrow."

Still staring, Akito looked down to the fire and silently sighed. Judging by the position of the moon above them he had already been asleep for at least an hour and as much as both he and his body wanted to sleep he was unsure if he would be able to so easily again.

Regardless he began to make himself as comfortable as possible again, but just as he lowered his head he too was overcome with a strange feeling, though his came in the form of a coughing fit.

Doing his best to hold the sharp, raspy coughs in, Akito instantly came under fire from his guard who's gaze immediately fell upon him the second he began to cough.

"I said be quiet." She scolded as the boy looked back up to her, partially managing to contain his noise in the process.

It wasn't his fault that he was coughing; he couldn't remember the last time he actually had anything to drink as his feeding early had been interrupted before it could reach that point and he was more than certain this was at least part of the reason.

"Can I… have a drink of w-water?" His hoarse voice questioned as the woman returned her eyes back down to the fire before her.

"No." She replied without much thought, watching from the corner of her eyes as the disheartened boy looked down in defeat, causing her to feel a pang of guilt. She had spoken out against him being starved earlier, how could she now refuse to give him a drink?

With a sigh she slowly stood up from her position by the fire and walked towards the boy, pulling a canteen from the bag beside her as she did so.

"Drink." She commanded as she knelt before him, carefully holding the canteen up to his lips to allow him to take a substantial amount of water into his mouth before pulling it away and watching the boy swallow.

Not wanting to speak the boy slowly nodded to show his appreciation, watching the girls eyes for a moment before she stood up from in front of him and returned to her spot, setting the canteen to the side incase he started to cough again.

In accordance to her original orders Akito slowly leaned his head back and closed his eyes, though as the girl watched she found herself unable to allow him to sleep just yet; at least not until she found something out.

"Why didn't you run when you had the chance?" She questioned in a soft yet stern voice to avoid waking the others, bringing the boy to open his eyes and look to her in surprise. Was this a trap, or did she willingly want him to talk to her?

Hesitantly Akito swallowed and looked into her eyes as they remained focused on the fire, causing him to do the same. "I wasn't going to let you fight five on your own." He stated, instantly causing the girl to grimace in displeasure. Did he think she was weak? That she couldn't handle herself?

"I could have handled it myself. I've been in worse situations, I didn't need your help." She contested, peering at the boy from the corner of her eye as he looked to her.

"It's not that, I just… after everything you've done for me, I couldn't." The boy countered, causing her to raise her head to look straight towards him; perplexed. After everything she had done? Was that sarcasm?

Seeing her look Akito slowly grinned a tiny bit and closed his eyes to conform to his body desire, still exhausted from everything that had happened over the past few days. "Plus… I promised not to run away." He added, even furthering Kisa's confusion.

She could remember him promising not to run, but she simply wrote it off as a desperate attempt to be untied and set free. Was he being serious?

"You'd risk your life for a promise you made to someone you don't know? Someone who's been holding you against your will and keeping you in chains?" Kisa questioned as the boy silently chuckled, knowing that it must have sounded crazy to someone who wasn't him.

"Yes." He replied as he opened his eyes a little and focused on the fire once again. "I don't make promises I won't keep. I've… been on the other end of that too many times." He added as his eyes shifted up to the girl through his hair as she continued to stare at him.

Was he crazy? A promise wasn't some physically binding contract; he could have turned and ran the second she untied his wrists, and although it would have pissed her off she wouldn't have blamed him one bit. What was his deal?

Staring at him in silence for a few minutes before turning back to the fire, Kisa sighed under her breath. As far as she could tell he was telling the truth, furthering her from finding an answer to the question of the boy's identity.

After a moment or two longer Kisa pulled a knee up to her chest and rested her chin, eyeing the boy up as she watched his eyes bob sleepily. "You keep saying that you're not Deidara." She began as Akito brought her back into focus with his brown orbs.

"If that really is true and you're not Deidara, then who are you?" She asked again, causing the boy to stare silently for a moment before taking a small breath.

"Akito. A-Akito Himaku." He replied softly as the girl stared, repeating the boy's words over in her mind. He said the name calmly and without any hint of doubt, suggesting that it was second nature to say it. Was this really his name?

With a quiet hum the girl nodded in acknowledgement as she again looked away from him towards the flames, still deep in thought. Did they really torture and hold an innocent shinobi hostage? Was he really out there hunting down his rogue cousin when they came across him in the stream? Was the real Deidara the one who put him in that stream to begin with?

Turning her head back towards the boy to ask a follow up question about the real Deidara, Kisa suddenly froze as the light from the fire reflected off of something hanging from the boy's neck, catching her eye.

She hadn't seen it before but it seemed that somehow both his flak and uniform jacket had opened a little further than when she last looked at him, likely from their fight earlier.

Focusing on the object and moving a little closer on her hands to ensure it wasn't some kind of weapon, Kisa's eyes narrowed to reveal what appeared to be a necklace; the golden surface of it's circular form featuring a diamond shaped cutout, though the bottom point was removed, leaving a half-moon area where a round emerald-like stone was evenly suspended from all sides.

This form matched that which was imprinted on the back of his flak jacket between it's two shoulder pads, as well as on the design on the lapel that hung from under the right side of his flak jacket, leading the girl to believe it was some sort of clan-related insignia of some sort.

"That's a rather ornate piece of jewelry for a rock hugger." The girl stated sarcastically, bringing Akito to chuckle quietly before wincing in pain from his broken ribs.

"I agree, i-it's a bit gaudy." He replied as he looked down at the necklace dangling from his neck. "Each Himaku clan member is given one when we are born. Its intended to remind us that we are never alone, as well as a sign of safety and even love." He added as Kisa scoffed under her breath, finding the notion that a piece of metal could ever make someone feel safe.

"Well that's certainly different. A bit childish, but different." She replied, catching a slight glare from the boy who huffed in a sort of playful annoyance.

"What, your clan doesn't have any strange traditions?" He questioned with the intent of continuing their conversation, though almost immediately the woman's demeanor changed and once again he was met with a displeased scowl.

She knew that he hadn't intended to bring up her family's past, but at the mention of her belonging to a clan the girl immediately withdrew both knees to her chest. "I think you should go back to sleep now, Akito Himaku." She stated as she looked away back towards the fire as Akito's smile slowly faded.

Knowing that he had said something wrong, Akito returned his vision to the flames as well. "Thank you for the water, Kisa." He said softly, waiting for a few seconds without a reply before shutting his eyes and slowly drifting off to sleep, once again leaving Kisa alone in the silence of the night.

Waiting some time to ensure he was asleep, Kisa's eyes once again made their way to the boy. Even after everything they had done to him, including her snap only moments before, he continued to speak to her in a calm, almost kind voice, adding to her confusion.

It now seemed even more unlikely that this could be the S-Rank criminal Jun believed he was; how could someone as vile as an Akatsuki be willing to risk their life for someone they had just met? How could an Akatsuki hold ideals other than their own, even of it was that of their clan? They were rogues, criminals, terrorists and murders; It didn't make sense.

But, it didn't matter. Jun wouldn't release him until they knew for sure, and that wouldn't be until they made it to the nearest bounty claim station.

"You're welcome." She whispered quietly as she continued to stare into the fire, trying her best to remain vigilant while also fighting off the doubt and concern inside her mind.


	4. Chapter 4: Getaru City

Over the next few days the group continued to travel east, heading out of the land controlled by Kusagakure towards the Land of Fire, causing Akito to worry. If they continued on their trek east it would eventually lead them directly towards the Land of Waves and along with it Kirigakure; a place he truly did not want to go.

Constant fighting between the Land of Earth and the Land of Water had caused a deep, often volatile distrust to form amongst their two hidden villages, make it dangerous for him to even been within a hundred miles of that place, let alone in the village itself, even with the new Mizukage's reformist ideals.

However at the beginning of the fifth day the group made an abrupt turn north and began to head towards the Land of Sound much to Akito's relief, though this move in turn offered its own unique set of questions.

What were they doing heading towards the Land of Sound? What kind of assignment could they possibly have accepted that would take them to a relatively uninhabited area of the continent?

The journey was rather uneventful; they had not run into any more hunter partys looking to collect Deidara's bounty, likely due to their move further away from the man's last known location, nor did they fight amongst one another, resulting in a quiet albeit long walk.

Although they hadn't been arguing it wasn't for lack of trying as, despite Kisa's wishes, Jun continued to refrain from allowing Akito to fully regain his strength in an active attempt to ensure he could not rise up against them. This involved making sure he slept only a few hours each night as well as received only enough food and water to keep him on his feet and nothing more.

Several times Kisa had opened her mouth to object to this behavior, including a few where Takao supported the decision as well, only to bite her tongue in what she believed was the best interest of both parties.

Arguing ran the risk of not only making the situation worse but also elongating the time it would take to find out the boy's true identity, either showing Jun that he had been wrong all along or rewarding them with the much needed bounty over Deidara's head.

However, as much as she knew the payout if the boy was indeed Deidara would go a long way in aiding their financial stability, she couldn't help but silently hope that this wasn't the case.

Over the past few days she had interacted with the boy several times, albeit nowhere near as in depth as their talk by the campfire, each shedding a little more light onto the boy's past and further detailing his story about who he was.

She now knew about his brother Akihiro, who was killed when Akito was still young, as well as his position as a pupil of the Tsuchikage following Deidara's defection from Iwa.

Despite this she had still yet to tell him much about herself, including her last name, nor had she told or allowed Jun to see her conversations with boy, only doing so when he was not physically present.

At the end of the seventh day, nearing around eleven in the evening, the group finally came into view of their first bit of civilization, Getaru City; a somewhat large commercial hotspot in the Land of Fire a short distance away from the border with the Land of Sound.

This offered a welcomed sight for the group as not more than an hour before it had begun to rain relatively hard, though unbeknownst to Akito this appeared to have been a predesignated waypoint for the group who, upon entering the city, immediately made for a local hotel and rented a room large enough with enough bedrooms for three people with the intent of staying at least two nights.

Knowing that he was not included in this three the boy assumed he would be spending his time tied up in a corner of the hotel room somewhere, especially since there was little chance a claim station was open at this time of night to process and then release him. But much to his dismay, Jun had other plans.

Sitting on the balcony of their ninth floor hotel room with his hands chained to the railing, Akito looked up to Jun as he stood just inside of the room's sliding glass door; a wide, amused grin across his smug face.

"You're kidding me, right?" The boy questioned as the rain above continued to pour down on him from above.

"Nope, sorry. Bounty station isn't open till seven so you'll have to wait a little longer to prove your innocence." The redheaded shinobi replied sarcastically as Akito scowled and looked past him towards the rather open living space behind him.

"And you can't tie me up inside?" Akito replied as Jun looked over his shoulder for only a brief second before returning back to his prisoner.

"It's simple; nowhere to secure you. The railing is our best bet, regardless of the fact that it's raining sideways." Jun replied as Akito sighed and lowered his head in defeat, prompting him to speak again.

"Oh come on Iwa, it's not that bad. You'll be free in a few hours, or so you claim. Just think of it as one more trial, and remember no running away, or else." He added before shutting the sliding door and turning around to face his friends as both sat on the couch behind him, watching in disapproval.

"You know, I really hope he is innocent. It is going to be so amusing to watch him kick your ass up and down one of these streets." Takao mocked with a grin before looking towards Kisa who silently stared at Jun in disgust.

"Come on, he's fine. He's from the stone village, isn't he? He's tough enough to survive a night in the rain." Jun contested as he pointed to Takao. "Plus, I can take him. No Iwa shinobi has ever gotten the best of me, not with my skill!" He joked while flexing the muscles in his right arm and pointing to himself with his left hand in an attempt to boast; an attempt that once again backfired as Kisa stood up form the couch.

"I'll be in my room. Wake me up if there is an issue." She stated without acknowledging Jun's actions before making her way to the bedroom she had picked out and promptly shutting the door as the two men watched.

Waiting until he was sure Kisa had walked away from the door, Takao turned his head back towards Jun and sighed. "You know that isn't going to work on her, right? She's not like all those airheaded women back home who gawk over your hair and muscles, Jun. How haven't you caught onto that yet?" He questioned as Jun scowled and lowered his arms.

"What are you talking about? I was just trying to lighten the mood. I mean come on, we are on the verge of our largest combined payday of all time. Why is she so miserable?" He questioned, forcing Jun to raise a single brow in curiosity. Did he really not get it?

"Maybe it's because you've been acting like a huge jerk the past two weeks, ever since you got that letter stating you were being considered for that Special-Jounin position teaching students about fuinjutsu at the academy." Takao retorted as he looked over his shoulder and pointed towards the boy on the balcony as Jun moved to the couch across from him and sat down. "And treating that one like shit isn't helping ethier."

Hearing that part of the issue was his treatment of their prisoner, Jun scoffed. "That Iwa brat? She's still on that?" He questioned, a bit confused. As far as he knew she hadn't spoken a word to him since they left the scene of their big fight.

"You mean Akito? Yeah, she's mad. Again, how haven't you caught onto that? We've known each other for like… thirteen years." Takao replied as Jun again scowled, ignoring Takao's question.

"Akito? That's what he told you his name was? Did Kisa find that out?" He fired back rapidly as Takao began to laugh at his jealousy.

"Yeah, amongst other things. I don't know Jun, I'm starting to think Kisa is right. I mean, let's be real; we both know that if we were in his position we would have ran. Why would he stick around and help her fight those grass cutters if he really was an S-Rank missing nin? And why wouldn't he have tried to kill us when he woke up the first time? There was no way that was his full power." Takao then stated, causing Jun to grind his teeth in anger. Kisa's doubt in his judgement had been enough to deal with, but now Takao as well?

Why did she insist on talking to him? She _hated_ everything and everyone that ever stepped foot from that village's gate; why was she so driven to converse with, and seemingly befriend someone who came from a place that took both her childhood and her father away from her?

"Did you ever think that maybe it is all a ploy? That everything he's doing and saying is just some cunning scheme to get us to release him?" He questioned in response as he crossed his arms.

"He obviously knows you and Kisa are willing to listen to him. What happens when we let him go and he turns on us? Which one of us is he going to kill to exact his revenge for having him tied up?" Jun continued, causing Takao to grin.

"Oh, it's going to be you. There is no doubt there buddy." He replied with a chuckle, instantly causing Jun to cry out in annoyance at how light hearted he was taking his advice as from behind her door Kisa sighed.

She knew that the second she was out of earshot Jun would grill Takao about the whole situation, and although she had asked him not to tell Jun about her speaking to Akito she couldn't blame him.

Jun may have been a sensory type, but when it came to anything beside chakra he was as blind as a bat. He couldn't tell how to react to anyone else's feelings or emotions other than his own, let alone appropriately come across as helpful, resulting in countless bouts of friction between the two just like the current case.

To make matters worse, Jun's attempts to impress her did not go unnoticed despite her refusal to acknowledge them. She had known for some time now that he held some sort of attraction to her greater than their long running friendship, but no matter how many times she had tried to subvertly portray her lack of interest he continued to try.

It wasn't always that way. There was a time where she was rather attracted to him, along with over half of the women in their graduating class, but the boy made it very clear that he held no interest in her at the time and instead chose to chase after those others in their class, quickly souring any attraction she held for the man.

Turning her head towards the bedroom window opposite of where she stood as a flash of lightning filled the sky Kisa made her way over to the window and looked out towards the balcony their prisoner was chained to, ensuring he had not been struck as a loud roar filled the sky.

Jun had done a lot to him since first capturing him, but this was by far the worst. The temperature outside was barely over forty five degrees and despite the fact that he remained still with his head down to hide his face from the rain she knew he had to be freezing.

Even worse was the knowledge that there was nothing she could do. Sure, she could storm out there right now and demand that Jun bring him inside or even walk straight out to the balcony to attempt to cover him from the rain, but what was the point?

All she would succeed in doing would be causing a fight, furthering Jun's animosity towards the whole situation. She was stuck, and that was truly infuriating.

Moving away from the window she pulled her wet flak jacket off of her shoulders and draped it over a chair conveniently placed beside her bed before before changing into a fresh, dry pair of clothes from her backpack out of the window's sight line.

The girl then plopped face first onto the bed, allowing her feet to naturally rebound as she did so before rolling over onto her side and watching Akito through the window once again. This wasn't right, Iwa ninja or not.

Softly sighing to herself in disgust Kisa reached up and turned off the lamp beside her bed before closing her eyes and attempting her hardest to sleep, regardless of how she felt; her mind difficult to calm.

Not only were they meeting with their client tomorrow to discuss the mission he hired them to complete, but they would also be finding out who their prisoner was, the latter of which seemed to take priority until finally drifting off into a calm sleep.

As Kisa struggled to fall asleep in the apartment so did Akito outside, his clothing soaked all the way through save for some of his innermost layer, creating a chill across his entire body that was difficult to shake. He had hoped that his good behavior the past few days would have saved him from something like this, but that was apparently not the case.

Shivering as a large gust of wind passed him by, the boy carefully pulled his legs up towards his chest and placed his face as close to his knees as possible to conserve heat. Did Jun really expect him to sleep like this? Frozen to the balcony ninety feet above the street below?

Trying his best to retain as much heat from his exhaled breath as he could, Akito closed his eyes and tried to sleep as well, though it took nearly an hour and was disrupted with each passing roar from the clouds above, as well as the occasional sting of cold that made its way up his spine.

Eventually he did fall into a somewhat deep sleep and remained there until early morning when, much to his surprise, the feeling of the rain on his head stopped. This immediately struck him as odd however as all around him he could hear rain falling, including the distant rumble of thunder.

Curious to why this was, Akito's eyes slowly opened to reveal a pair of bare feet, prompting him to look up as above him stood Kisa; her clothes reduced to her pants and a tank top as in her hand she held an umbrella, strategically placed to protect him from the falling rain while also keeping herself dry.

Seeing him move the girl's lips slowly formed a small, untraceable grin, pleased that he had not froze to death overnight. "Still alive?" She questioned softly as the boy nodded, his body instantly shivering as the rest of his body came to its senses. It was still early morning, barely past the start of dawn; why was she up?

"When Jun wakes up I am going to suggest he allow you to shower." The girl stated as she looked out at the sleepy, rainy city around them. "That alright with you?" She then questioned, much to the boy's surprise.

Much to her own surprise however the boy shook his head. "N-No, don't. I-If he is g-going to be mad, d-don't." He managed to reply between his teeth as his body continued to shiver, causing her to huff.

"Don't worry about him or his attitude problem. He will get over it. I can tell you are freezing, and this is the least he could do." She contested, catching yet another of his gazes through his soaked hair. She was going to risk fighting with Jun just so that he could get warm?

Looking back down at the balcony deck, Akito slowly nodded. "A-Alright." He replied as Kisa stared at him for a moment before taking a small breath of relief.

"Those two are still sleeping, so it will be about another hour. Can you survive a little longer?" She questioned, leading him to nod.

"Yeah, I'll s-survive." The boy replied as Kisa immediately nodded, hiding a small grin as she turned around towards the sliding hotel room door.

However, as she took a step forward Akito spoke again, causing her to stop dead in her tracks as her hand reached out for the handle.

"Kisa." He called out as her ears perked up and her head subconsciously turned a bit towards him, watching from the corner of her eye as he tried to formulate his question.

He knew that it wouldn't be long before he was set free, or at least he hoped, and before then there was something he was dying to know. She had been the only one consistently urging for him to be treated with decency despite her past history with his home, but why?

Though, as much as he wished to know the answer to his question, he was hesitant to ask. He had seen twice now that the mention of her father's memory brought the girl not only pain but anger, and the last thing he wanted to risk was angering the only person in their group who he could somewhat rely on.

"J-Jun… told me what h-happened. To y-your father. I know you h-hate me." Akito began as the girl's eyes began to widen in anger, both at Jun for telling the boy and at Akito himself for bringing it up, but before she could retaliate he spoke up again. "W-Why are you… b-being nice to me?"

At his question Kisa froze, her vision locked to the boy over her shoulder. Why was she being nice to him? Did he really consider all of this being nice?

She supposed it did seem nice based on the kind of treatment Jun had been putting him through, but was it really worth thinking about? She was doing little more than treating him like a human being, regardless of her personal feelings towards him and his people.

Standing still in silence for a moment as she too struggled to come up with an appropriate way to word her sentence, Kisa's eyes drifted down to the street below. "Because it is the right thing to do. I won't let myself be viewed as some inhuman monster, even to you." She replied with a hint of anger before slowly opening the sliding glass door and stepping inside, leaving the rain to pour down on the boy once again.

Immediately the girl retreated to her bedroom and carefully shut the door to prevent waking the others before pressing her back against the cool wood, thinking over Akito's words. He knew she hated him? She did hate him; she hated all of them. How could she not? Their treachery and deceit took everything from her.

But if this was the case, why did his question keep playing over and over again in her head, each time with the same disheartened tone? She had made sure to portray displeasure and distance herself as far from the boy as possible, even why helping him. Why did this notion feel so odd?

Leaving the door she walked towards the window and cautiously peered out towards the boy who once again sat with his head lowered to protect his eyes from the rain; his mind heavy as well.

She didn't have to explain for him to understand that it was he who she viewed as the inhuman monster, causing him to refrain from replying, even if her speedy retreat wouldn't have prevented so.

He could openly admit that Iwa's history had not been the cleanest, most straightforward existence in the world, but he had often regarded the decisions of both the past and current Kage as being essential to the survival of their people, never casting doubt.

But, with seeing the result of one such decision, doubt was unavoidable. What was done was vile and deceitful regardless of the reason, and if their roles would have been reversed he could not say for certain how he would feel towards her.

He had felt something similar during his time as part of an experimental genin exchange program between Konoha and a few other select villages, like the people there watched him with distrust and fear, but he had always assumed that was nothing more than childish anxiety. Was this really how most of those outside of Iwa viewed him? As a warmongering monster?

As Kisa predicted nearly an hour passed before Jun came out of his bedroom and made his way to the kitchen, upon which time she immediately confronted him over allowing Akito to shower, though it wasn't easy.

Still harboring his anger over the whole situation from the night before Jun instantly denied the prospect, but after a nearly half hour long argument, nearly all of which Akito could hear from his position directly outside of the hotel's living area and kitchen, Kisa managed to convince her bullhead leader into allowing the boy to shower.

Hearing the sliding door in front of him opening once again Akito's eyes slowly raised up, instantly spotting the rather manly feet before him and confirming his suspicion that it would not be Kisa who came for him.

Reaching forward and unlocking the chains tied around the railing as well as his wrists, Jun grabbed Akito's tattered flak jacket by it's collar. "Get up." He instructed as he assisted the boy to a standing position before staring into his eyes with a stern, annoyed demeanor.

"Kisa demanded that I let you shower and be given a chance to warm up. I am heading into town to check and guarantee the bounty station will accept you before I drag your ass all the way down there and will be leaving you in Takao's care." The man added as Akito looked away from him and rubbed his newly liberated wrists, prompting Jun to lift his head back up so that they were once again eye to eye.

"Did you hear me, _Akito_?" He questioned angrily, mocking his name in clear doubt about it's legitimacy and angering the boy who ground his teeth with a scowl.

"Don't touch m-me." He snapped back as Jun impatiently looked back and forth between his dark eyes.

"I don't know what you've done to make Kisa trust you but I assure you it won't work on Takao, regardless of his doubt." Jun then stated as from behind him Takao stepped out onto the balcony.

"Whoa now, don't make me out to be the bad guy. I'm just doing my job." The blonde haired shinobi said following a sharp yawn, causing Jun to look up at him.

"I'm serious. Let him shower, get clean clothes; whatever will make Kisa happy. But do not under any circumstances allow him to leave your sight." He ordered before turning back towards Akito and pointing at his neck. "Takao can activate that seal as well, so don't even try to run. I will make sure you regret it if you do."

Once again hearing Jun threaten him Akito reluctantly sighed and nodded in compliance before Jun again reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder, guiding him into the living area of the hotel room as Takao shut the door behind him.

"Where's Kisa?" Jun then questioned as Takao walked beside their prisoner and pointed down the hall.

"She's in the shower, hopefully not using all the hot water." He stated, causing Jun to scoff as he fixed his now slightly damp hair.

"Well, make sure she knows what's going on. I will be back in an hour or so." The man added before turning, walking towards the hotel door and leaving the room towards his destination, causing an awkward silence to form between the two remaining men.

Watching as Takao stepped forward and turned to face him, Akito immediately prepared for yet another scolding or possibly even a sharp blow to the stomach. But this wasn't the case and instead of striking him the large man's blank expression quickly turned into a small grin.

"So it's Akito, right?" He questioned, causing Akito's eyes to raise from the floorboards below up to his own in surprise, causing him to tilt his head in confusion.

"Y-yeah. Takao?" Akito responded as the man nodded and widened his smile.

"Yep, that's me. Now it's formal." He replied before walking around the front of the couch and stretching his back in preparation to sit down.

Unsure what was happening, Akito remained standing still in the intersection of the living area, kitchen and hallway leading to the bedrooms. "That's it? You aren't g-going to y-yell at me? Hit me?" He asked, causing Takao to laugh as he shook his head.

"Nah man, that's not my thing. Unless you deserve it, that is." He stated between chuckles as he looked back up towards Akito. "You see, Kisa applies the logic while Jun barks out the orders. I'm just here in the middle, doing whatever they need me to do. It's the best place to be really." He jested with another chuckle, bringing Akito to laugh under his breath in amusement.

He would not have guessed Takao would be as laid back as this, let alone seemingly passive towards him. From what Jun eluded to on the balcony it seems that he believed he was innocent as well, doubting Jun's judgement just like Kisa did.

With a grateful sigh Akito shook his head and leaned on the wall behind him, looking towards the two large swords leaning up against the wall behind Takao. "In that case, t-thank you. I-It's been a rough week." He finally replied, once again causing the man to laugh.

"I bet it has been. I apologize for Jun's behaviors, he's just a bit overzealous with fugitive retrievals, and seeing as this was making out to be his largest claim ever I don't necessarily blame him. That's just his clan's thing." Takao replied as Akito tilted his head.

"His clan?" He questioned, bringing Takao to nod as he reached forward and picked up a bottle of alcohol left on the table from the night before and taking a swig, though the warm liquid immediately caused him to grimace in disgust.

"Jun's family has a long running history of being regarded as some of the finest hunter-nin in the Land of Waves. His family, the Watanabe, specialize in fuinjutsu as you have seen, and over the past-" Takao began to explain though as he did so the bathroom door down the hall to Akito's right opened and out stepped Kisa; her body covered by little more than a towel that covered from her chest down to the middle of her thighs and not much else.

Initially paying little attention due to the brain fog she found herself lingering in, the girl stepped out into the hallway and turned to look towards the living room to see if Takao was awake yet, only to shriek in horror as her eyes focused on their prisoner who, caught completely off guard, stared at her with bright red cheeks.

Quickly retreating into her bedroom and slamming the door behind her, she let out a growl of anger as Takao began to laugh. "What the hell Takao, why didn't you tell me you brought him inside?!" She cried out, furthering the blonde giant's exuberant giggling.

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to do that, wasn't I? Akito is in the house!" He laughed, looking towards their new friend as he frantically shifted his eyes down to the hardwood floor below, subconsciously tracing the girl's footprints back to her room.

"Y-You prick! I'm going to kill you!" She called again in frustration as she rapidly tried to get dressed in order to beat her friend who, coming down from his fit, wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Man, that never gets old." Takao finished as he returned his attention back to Akito. "Anyway, like I was saying, tracking and capturing rogue ninja is Jun's speciality. Over the nearly nine years we've been a squad he has led us to quite a few high value captures, but never to one as prestigious as an Akatsuki member."

"If I had to guess I would say that is why he is so hesitant to accept that you are anyone other than Deidara. He's banking on this more than any other recovery before." Takao continued as Akito listened intently, still trying to force the heat that had built up in his cheeks to dissipate. Everyone had heard of Kirigakure's legendary hunter-nin, but he had never heard a name associated with the profession, peaking his interest.

"Well I a-assure you that I am not D-Deidara." Akito stated as Takao nodded his head with a slight laugh.

"That's what it seems." He replied before slapping both of his hands onto his knees, standing up from the couch and slowly making his way towards the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm going to get started on something for us to eat for breakfast. Don't tell Jun I fed you though, I hate hearing his voice as much as Kisa does. If you have any new clothes in a scroll or whatever, leave it on the table and I will open it when I get a chance."

At the mention of food Akito's stomach growled, having been lacking a good, filling meal now for over two weeks. The sound of fresh clothes didn't sound bad ethier, and without hesitation the boy reached into a small pouch beside his empty clay storage and drew forth a small scroll used to store a spare sets of clothes and other tools before setting it on the table. "That sounds good to me. I won't tell him. Thank you." He replied, watching as the man turned on the stovetop burners and turned back towards him once more.

"Right on. You should shower now though, that way it is still fresh when you get done." Takao replied before holding his finger up in thought. "I suggest maybe taking a cold one. You know, since you just got quite the show in the hallway." He added, causing the boy's face turn bright red once again as he laughed wildly, followed shortly behind by the sound of Kisa's fist against the wall of her room.

"SHUT UP TAKAO!" She cried as Akito cautiously yet quickly navigated his way into the bathroom and shut the door, not wanting to be in the way of Kisa's warpath.

Inside the bathroom however, it was a momentary bliss. For the first time in two weeks he was finally able to take off the ruined and now drenches clothing he had been stuck in, save for the gloves that Jun's seals remained wrapped over, as well as shower.

Pulling off his final layer including the wraps that covered his arms and legs at all times, he approached the shower with the intent of immediately stepping inside.

But as he took his first step into the glass enclosed space something caught his eye; his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Tracing over his body with his eyes, he looked at the plethora of scars across his arms and chest, recalling the memory of how he received each wound as in the back of his head Kisa's words continued to echo.

With the Explosive Release blood in his veins it was never any secret that his enemies would try to take his arms in order to silence his kekkei genkai, but this seemed to only serve as an example of how dangerous he was; how much of a monster he was.

After a few more seconds the boy sighed and stepped into the shower, ignoring a loud slapping sound from the kitchen in favor of taking in every ounce of relief the warm water offered on his sore, frozen body.

He could still feel the wounds and bruises he had received over a week ago regardless of what healing both Kisa and the time had done, and this seemed to be just what he needed.

Not wanting to abuse the freedom he had been given Akito stayed in the shower for only a little over ten minutes before killing the water and drying off. It was during this time that he noticed the fresh clothes Takao had mentioned, or at least everything needed to be made decent including fresh extremity wraps, were neatly placed on the bathroom sink.

Once dry the boy began to dress, donning the essentials as well as a fresh pair of pants and black undershirt before picking up the cloth material used to wrap his arms. With a sigh the boy opened the bathroom door a bit to allow the steam that had built up to vent before starting to wrap his left arm.

Seeing the door open as she prepared to leave her own room for the second time, Kisa walked down the hall in order to beat him into the kitchen, but as she walked by and peered inside she froze; watching as Akito stood with his back towards her and wrapped his arm, starting at the top and making his way all the way down to the cuff of his glove.

Remaining as silent as possible the girl slowly traced the scars ahead of the bandage, noticing almost immediately that some of them were rather deep and wide, including one on his upper left arm that seemed to wrap almost entirely around his bicep. This showed evidence of a large wound that was likely an attempt to sever his arm completely from his body, causing her to bite her lip at the thought.

Even with her position and training as a medical ninja wounds like this still caused her to cringe, especially when thinking about the aftermath and likely painful healing process. Was this done as some sort of attempt to keep him from using his kekkei genkai? Did someone really try to take his whole arm?

Subconsciously Kisa crept closer towards the door to take a better look, accidentally bumping into the wood with her hand and causing it creek as Akito's head lifted. Instantly his eyes shot to the mirror as the girl stood still, a slight blush across her embarrassed cheeks.

Making eye contact with Kisa over his shoulder and expecting her to immediately question his scars the boy looked down to the ground in a sigh of embarrassment, both at his arms as well as the remaining guilt he felt from her earlier comments, causing Kisa to swallow nervously as she caught on to his expression. Did he know she was going to ask, and if so, was he really embarrassed by it?

However, instead of asking Kisa looked down to the floor as well, trying to hide her face. "If you are done you should come out and eat. Takao is done cooking, and it's best while it is hot." She stated, bringing Akito to return his eyes back to her.

"I will be right there. Thank you." He replied to which she slowly nodded before disappearing from the door frame back towards the kitchen, allowing him to finish up getting dressed without any further interruption.

Doing as instructed Akito hesitantly approached the kitchen and stepped inside where he immediately saw both Takao and Kisa standing at the kitchen counter, the former of which rubbed his cheek feverishly.

"I don't know why you had to hit me. It still stings." Takao complained as he let go of his left cheek, revealing a red hand print across it as Kisa huffed.

"You know very well why I hit you. Stop being a baby." She replied as Akito came into view, forcing her to look at him for a moment with a blank stare before looking down at the food in front of them.

"Takao and I both disagree with Jun's attempt to starve you, so you may have as much as you like." She stated as Takao motioned to the food before them; a large central bowl of steamed rice accompanied by several smaller bowls of vegetables, fresh pan-seared fish and even a few seemingly homemade dumplings.

This large collection of food not only filled the air with a mouth watering aroma but impressed the boy who looked to Takao, focusing at first on the hand print across his face. This must have been the source of the large slap he heard as he entered the shower, causing him to slowly grin a little.

"This all looks very good, Takao. Thank you. Both of you." He again thanked as they each picked up a small bowl and began to take food to fill it with; the boy waiting until both Takao and Kisa had taken theirs before doing so himself.

Taking his first bite Akito immediately closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying a rather tasty if not a tad bit spice piece of fish first. "It tastes great as well." He added, again bringing Takao to smile as his ego inflated rapidly.

"Oh trust me, I know. My spiced breakfast salmon was always a hit back home." The man replied as Akito nodded in agreement and took another mouthful of food, all while Kisa stared at him from the corner of her eye.

It was strange sharing a true meal with the boy rather than occasionally feeding him a stick of meat or a roasted vegetable, and although it seemed like it should feel disgusting to do so, it seemed nothing short of natural.

Without the Iwa forehead protector tied around his neck he was nothing more than a fellow shinobi that, had she not known his supposed identity, she could see herself associating back home. Was it possible that, under the uniform of a nation she hated so much, Akito Himaku could be just a normal person?

"Kisara Hakaru." She blurted out as the boy reached down to pick up another mouthful of food, causing him to freeze as both he and Takao looked to her in confusion; Takao holding a whole dumpling in his mouth as he did so. Was that her full name? It had to be, what else could it be?

Locking eyes to her for a moment or two Akito bit his lip, unsure what to say. "Your name." He said quietly as the woman nodded and subconsciously stirred the ingredients in her bowl around in a circle. She had always been told that first impressions meant everything, and how good could a first impression be if a person didn't even know her name?

"I know quite a bit about you, and you didn't even know my name whole name." She replied as her blue orbs remained steadily locked to his dark hues. Why would she tell him her full name? After what was said earlier he believed she would have wanted to talk to him less not more, let alone tell him her name.

Still unsure what to say Akito bit his lip, trying to come up with the correct sentence for this moment. His past experiences in life had made him somewhat unsure how to respond appropriately under certain circumstances, especially when they involved a girl, and he hoped that whatever he was about to say would not come out as messed up as it seemed in his mind.

"Kisara is a... b-beautiful name." He stuttered with darkening skin as Kisa's eyes widened, caught completely off guard by his reply. A beautiful name, that's what he had to say to that? Was there something wrong with him?

Watching his partner's face darken as she stared at the boy Takao, who was even more surprised by both Kisa's use of her full name as well as the lack of immediately retaliation at Akito repeating it, spoke up.

"Takao Moshi. Pleasure to make your official acquaintance." The man stated as he finished chewing the dumpling in his mouth and held his hand out for the boy to shake, which he did without much hesitation before looking back to Kisa.

Although she had now shifted her vision down to her bowl as she continued to spin the contents around, Kisa's face remained a dark shade of red, unsure how to handle his statement.

This certainly wasn't the first time someone had made a comment about her name. There had been several times when some pig headed man would attempt to flirt with her, leading her to usually punch them as hard as she could in the face.

But this was different. She didn't seem to catch the same creepy, perverted vibe put off by those men, or even Jun on his several attempts to pull off something similar. He seemed to have said it just to be… nice.

Why though? Why be nice when she made it clear that she was only treating him with humanity because she was above acting like an animal?

"A-Alright, now that we are all… introduced, finish up eating. Jun should be back soon, and I don't want to keep fighting with him over you." She said aloud as she snapped from her thoughts, bringing Akito to nod as he continued to eat.

After a few minutes Kisa finished her meal and turned to take her bowl to the sink, only to be stopped as Takao reached out and pulled the bowl from her hands. "I'll take care of it." He stated as Kisa stared at him. Was this way of apologizing for his less-than-humorous joke earlier?

"Thank you." She replied regardless of his intent before walking from the kitchen to the living area and sitting down as Akito watched; his mouth full of his last bite of rice and vegetables.

"Go ahead and sit down, I'll take care of yours as well." Takao added, causing to Akito to look towards him and shake his head in protest.

"No Takao, it's only right that I help." He contested, though Takao simply laughed and took the bowl from his hands, motioning for him to head towards the couch as he did so.

Reluctantly Akito did as he was told, sheepishly walking over towards the couch opposite of Kisa and sitting down without a word, prompting the girl to look up at him for a moment as she gently brushed her damp hair.

"How is you arm?" She questioned as the boy looked down and rotated his wrist and fingers, aware that she was speaking about the one she had healed a week prior.

"Just still a bit sore." Akito replied, watching her nod in acknowledgement as she continued to carefully comb until finally setting the brush down in her lap; her eyes focusing on the necklace around his neck as the boy's description of its purpose replayed in her mind.

"It will get better, give it some time." She replied as she eyed his fingers gently running over the location of the break. She could have healed it further than she had, even sealing the bone completely over the course of a few more minutes, but in keeping with Jun's plan to keep the boy weak she had not.

"I know. Thank you again, for this, my ribs; all of it." Akito replied, causing her to shake her head.

"You don't need to thank me." She protested before falling silent, only to speak up again a few seconds later. "I didn't mean to spy on you in the bathroom. I was just walking by and looked to make sure you weren't doing anything you shouldn't be, but your arms…" She began to apologize as Akito now shook his own head.

"I understand. I… there is a reason why I keep them covered." He replied a bit shamefully, as he continued to involuntarily rub his arm. She hadn't been the first person to be fascinated by how torn up his arms had appeared and it seemed highly unlikely she would be the last.

Hearing the embarrassment in his voice once again, Kisa's interest grew. "They are from people trying to sever your arms in order to stop you from using your kekkei genkai, aren't they?" She questioned as the boy's eyes returned to hers. Her guess was correct, though he figured she would catch on to the reason quick with how intelligent she seemed to be.

"Most of them." He replied with a nod. "Ever since I was a student I was warned of the dangers of possessing a kekkei genkai, as well as the fact that others would do whatever was necessary to suppress my abilities, even going as far as to purposely take my arms; something I experienced first hand on my very first mission as a genin."

Watching his finger's every move she watched as he traced over the large scar she saw earlier, making it clear that this was the injury he spoke of. If that were the case it would explain why all of his other scars seemed less severe; that with the first nearly taking his arm, he would do everything in his power to prevent it from ever happening again.

"To be fair I understand their intention. The Explosive Release kekkei genkai is notoriously dangerous and destructive, so much so that we are told to avoid its users and allow out Jonin to deal with the threat directly should conflict arise." Kisa stated in reply as Akito's focus drifted off to the floor.

He had heard that this was common places in places such as Kiri and Kumo, though there seemed to be little reason for that now. With Deidara gone he was the last known carrier of his bloodline, though he was unsure how many were privy to that information.

If word that all but one of the Explosive Corps had been lost it could make Iwa seem weak, opening them up for possible hostile activity against them; something that couldn't be allowed to happen.

Refraining from saying anything circulating in his thoughts, Akito slowly nodded. "I understand as well. It is my burden and I have no choice but to deal with it." He stated, though before Kisa could reply the apartment door opened behind Akito who, knowing that it had to have been Jun, immediately looked to the floor.

"Fuck this rain." The man immediately complained as he shut the door behind him and pulled his flak jacket off. Hanging it on the coat rack nearest the door, he stepped forward and place his hand on Akito's head, pushing it forward slightly to ensure neither of his comrades had tampered with his paralysis seal.

"Behaving?" He questioned as Akito glared up at him, bringing Kisa to speak up to avoid a release of the severe friction growing between them.

"He's been fine Jun. What did you find out? Is the waystation able to process him?" She questioned as Jun's eyes shot to her, forcing him to let go of the boy's hair at the sudden remembrance of his talk with Takao the night before.

With a sigh he stood back up straight and ran both hands through his soaked hair, trying to reform it into a somewhat presentable slick. "No. Bastard's said that they will not process a living member of the Akatsuki in fear of retribution, so it seems we will have to find another place to hand him in." Jun replied as Takao entered the living room while drying one of the bowls with a towel.

"And if they don't take him? What then?" The man questioned, bringing Jun to smirk as he did so.

"Well then we will have to bring him back to Kiri with us. I know for a fact they are willing to process terrorists, dead and alive." He replied as he placed his hand on Akito's shoulder in a somewhat rough fashion, causing the sore boy to grunt. "Looks like you will be accompanying us on our mission, 'not Deidara'." Jun added before looking to the clock on the wall.

It was nearly nine in the morning, leaving them quite some time before their scheduled meeting with the man who had requested their services. "Speaking of the mission don't forget that we have to meet with the client around six tonight at that ramen shop on the main drag. In the meantime I think we should maybe prepare for at least a week's journey. Takao, would you be able to pick up some supplies for the road? Hell, take the boy with you. He's got arms, he can lift." He stated as Takao nodded.

"Yeah that we can do. What about you two?" The man replied as Jun looked to Kisa, then pointed over his shoulder towards his vest.

"After I shower I've got to make some more scrolls in preparation for a variety of situations we might get into to." He stated as he then pointed towards Kisa with the intention of asking her for help, though she had a different idea.

"I will come with you too, Takao. I would like to grab some more medical supplies, as long as you think your bag can fit them." She quickly interjected much to Jun's dismay, causing him to stare with mouth agape as Takao chuckled.

"Yeah I've got room. The more the merrier." He replied before he turned to enter the kitchen and Kisa stood from the couch to finish getting dressed, leaving Akito alone with the red headed leader as he sighed and looked down towards him as he looked away, not wanting to provoke him any more than his presence already did.

In annoyance Jun walked towards the same spot on the couch that Kisa had just left and sat down in her place. "It seems you will be coming with us to meet with our client tonight. I had hoped to have been done with you already, but it doesn't seem that way." He began as Akito's eyes cautiously drifted up to meet his, trying to hide his unbound hands at his sides.

"You will sit away from us at this little street shop, far enough away to avoid casting suspicion but close enough for me to take you down should you choose to run. You will behave, and you won't say a word to our client. Understood?" He dictated as his eyes drifted down to the boy's hands and smirked.

"In exchange I will leave you untied for the time being. I'll even let you enjoy a hot meal at the shop tonight." He added as the boy lifted his full head up to look at him in surprise, though it was clear by the smug look on Jun's face that this wasn't a gift and was part of some plan.

"Besides… we may have a use for your particular brand of… skills, should the situation dictate them." He added before standing back up to his feet and placing both hands in his pockets, retaining his grin for a moment before turning and heading down the hall to shower, leaving the rather irritated boy alone.

With a sigh Akito sat back on the couch, silenting resenting every single word Jun said. Use his skills, was this some kind of a joke? Did he really expect him to fight for him like some sort of serf from back in the warring states period? Where were they heading?

Worse even yet, where would they go after? Jun had mentioned that if they couldn't find a place to process him they would be taking him to Kiri after all, and he definitely didn't want that.

If Jun had a hard time believing he was innocent, what chance did he stand surrounded by an entire village of people who viewed him as their enemy? Could this get any worse?


	5. Chapter 5: The Client

For a greater part of the day the group did as they had planned, leaving Jun behind in order to head to a local market and gather supplies for what they anticipated to be a somewhat lengthy assignment.

As head chef Takao was placed in charge of gathering anything he deemed appropriate for living out of temporary campsite while Kisa purchased several units of various medical supplies, mostly items she could not improvise using medical ninjutsu.

Despite being told that he did not have to Akito did as Jun had instructed and acted as a bag carrier for the two, carefully holding whatever items they handed him. Unlike Kisa and Takao, Akito did not wear any of his identifying material save for his red pants in order to try and hide his identity, leaving him rather pedestrian-like in appearance.

The weather had yet to break and continued to rain down on the small city, occasionally harder than normal, creating a slow trek back to the hotel room as the group of three ducked in and out from underneath shop canopies to avoid becoming soaked.

Walking behind Kisa as she in turn followed Takao back, Akito looked up at the sky in thought. They often had heavy storms like these back home but they usually didn't last as long and stay as heavy as this one, making it clear that they had to have been close to the ocean.

"This weather must remind you of home." The boy stated as he stared at the clouds above, causing Kisa to look back over her shoulder at him for a moment before doing the same.

"It does, to an extent. It rains quite often there, but nowhere as much as it does in Amegakure." She replied, instantly causing Akito to frown at the mention of that wretched village, which in turn caused her to cock her head a bit.

"Not a big fan of Ame, huh?" She questioned as Akito looked back down to her.

He had initially been unaware that he had expressed a visual sentiment of disgust, causing him to stare at her for a moment before shaking his head. "It's just a... personal matter from a long time ago." He replied as Kisa tried to analyze his thought for a moment before returning her eyes forward as Takao.

"It must not rain a lot in the Land of Earth for you to be this infatuated with one of nature's most basic transformations. I'd love to see how you'd react to snow." She joked with a small smirk as Akito laughed.

"We have snow in Iwa, and we certainly have rain as well. Just not as much." He replied as Takao looked over his shoulder with his own grin.

"We wouldn't know, we've never been there. Actually, where we found you is about the furthest west we've ever gone." He replied as he looked up to the sky in thought rather than admiration for the rather bland clouds, trying to spot their next covered pathway. "We've been all over the eastern part of the mainland, been to the land of waves countless times; just never west." He added.

Similarly he had never really ventured any further south than the Land of Fire, though unlike them he had been to their home land, just never to Kirigakure. "It is something, I have to admit; mountains and valleys as far as you can see, each with waterfalls that lead down to rivers and lakes at their base amongst sparsely spread forests." He replied as Kisa silently laughed at the thought.

She had heard stories about how much of Iwagakure was buildings formed out of rock, whether by hand or ninjutsu, all at the top of a mountain, making her wonder what the village actually looked like. Did this mean that bridges connected the different sections of the city, or did they have to descend all the way down and climb back up each and every time they wanted to visit a neighbor?

"Our home is kind of the opposite. There are some mountains but it is mostly flat, and there are trees, streams and water sources everywhere." Takao replied as Kisa looked to him and nodded in agreement, causing Akito to formulate a question.

"Are your family fishermen, Takao? Is that where you learned to cook so well?" He questioned as Takao laughed and shook his head.

"Nah, close though. I grew up on a farm in the heart of the Land of Water with five younger brothers. My mother always needed help around dinner time making food for the whole family and, as the oldest, that job fell on me." The man answered, surprising Akito even more. He wasn't actually from Kirigakure?

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a shinobi if you were not from the hidden village originally?" He asked curiously. Most shinobi were raised to be so from a very early age, so hearing that he had come from outside of Kiri to be a shinobi at what he had assumed must have been at least ten was quite surprising.

Hearing Akito's question Takao grinned, amused by the fact that after over a week the boy was finally finding his voice again. "Good question. My father was never a shinobi, but a swordsmen. He had served with the daimyo of the Land of Water during his younger days before meeting my mother and settling down."

"Well, like him, I too ended up handy with a blade. He noticed how well I handled a sickle on the farm and before I know it he was training me to follow in his footsteps." Takao added as he recalled their spars and engagements, done of course after a long day of farm work as was the usual.

"One day a scout from Kirigakure just so happened to be passing by our farm and saw us dueling. He stopped to watch, thinking that either I or my father may have been some criminal trying to rob the other, and ended up taking a notice to what my father had taught me. Within a week a representative from Kiri came to see for himself and, upon confirming what the scout had seen, offered my parents the opportunity for me to become a shinobi. But not just any shinobi; a possible replacement to one of the legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist!" He exclaimed while pointing his thumb to his chest in a very proud and obnoxious way, bringing Kisa to sigh.

"Calm down Takao. If your ego gets any bigger I will have to call you Jun from now on." She warned wanting to remain as low profile as possible, though Akito grinned from behind his armful of groceries regardless.

There hadn't been a single shinobi alive who hadn't heard of the legendary swordsmen team he spoke of, although the group had now fallen into complete disarray in recent years with the loss of most of its members.

"That is quite the honor." The boy replied as Takao nodded to agree.

"Yeah well, hopefully one day I'll be holding onto one of the legendary seven swords. Only then will it be officially, although I think I will miss Heiwa and Senso, since I've become so used to them." Takao explained referencing his two swords, both of which remained back at the apartment in order to easily carry their supplies.

Hearing the man speak of his dream Akito's mind wandered back to his conversation with Takao earlier with Jun, particularly at the man's mention of how Jun had hoped turning in Deidara would be his biggest and more rewarding capture.

"I know this is a bit off topic, but I have a question regarding Jun." The Iwa boy stated as both Kisa and Takao's eyes turned to him, causing him to look back and forth between them for a moment in an attempt to gauge their stare. "Why was capturing Deidara so important to Jun? I know that his bounty is rather high, especially alive, but from the way you made it sound it was more than that." He continued, bringing Takao to look forward at the street before them again.

"It's mostly the money, or at least for us it is. But for Jun, it's a bit more." He replied, further confusing Akito as Kisa took a breath in preparation to speak.

"Jun is from one of the most prestigious clans in Kirigakure. They've been around since the village was first founded and have remained one of it's most influential clans, though that changed quite a bit when Yagura rose to power. Believing that such a young, inexperienced shinobi could never effectively lead Kiri, Jun's grandfather and then head of clan Yoshio Watanabe challenged Yagura for the title of Mizukage and, as you can assume, lost." She began to explain, catching Akito's eye at the mention of the fourth Mizukage.

"After that Jun's father, Yashiro, took control of the clan and, after witnessing his father's death at Yagura's hands, vowed that his clan would never again challenge the leadership of the Mizukage and to regain gain their clan's honor by providing nothing short of satisfactory service to Kiri. Since that day it's been the goal of every member of the Watanabe clan to do whatever they can to further the prestige of the clan, erasing their debt piece by piece." The girl finished as she looked over her shoulder to ensure he was still listening, immediately catching his eye.

Yagura was, for lack of words, merciless. His reign over the village was despotic and unfeeling, only coming to an end about three years ago. If Jun's grandfather really was killed in an act of defiance against him, he could understand why his family would be fearful and so willing to try and regain his trust.

"I guess he is going to be really pissed when he finds out I'm not Deidara, huh?" Akito questioned, bringing Takao to laugh as Kisa continued to stare at him. He was right; if he really was telling the truth and we was truly not Deidara, Jun was going to be pissed.

"It is what it is. If you really are who you say you are, then there isn't much he can do about it. It wouldn't be the first time he's been wrong and certainly won't be the last." Kisa responded, once again causing Takao to laugh.

"You can certainly say that again." He replied in agreement before coming to a stop at the entrance to their hote. "Well we are back. I guess we should head on up and see what Jun is up to, hmm?" He then added as the group entered the hotel lobby and ascended to their ninth floor apartment.

Unlocking the door the group was immediately greeted by their leader who stood at the kitchen counter in his undershirt; a paint marker tucked behind his ear as he repeatedly sealed sets of tools he had purchased while they were out inside of scrolls, most of which seemed to be various chains and ropes that he had tethered to his chakra.

"Sure took you guys long enough." He stated aloud as he finished sealing a large coil of what looked like razor wire and marked it with the marker before placing the utensil back behind his ear. "Did you buy the whole store?"

Laughing at Jun's comment Takao shook his head and stepped further inside, setting the bag he had been holding in his hand on the couch as he did so. "Nah, just the usual vegetables, spices and some rations just in case we can't find anything hearty to go with them." The man stated as he sat down on the couch and motioned for Akito to place the bag he was carrying beside him.

"Ah yes, salted and canned fish. My favorite." Jun replied with a hint of sarcasm as he moved onto another weapon and briefly eyed their prisoner before shifting to Kisa with a forced yet friendly smile. "What about you, Kisa? Did you get everything you needed?" He questioned.

Hearing his voice but still holding in some deal of annoyance with her friend Kisa nodded as she sat down on couch opposite of Takao and facing toward him to avoid looking at Jun. "Mostly. We should be alright, so long as nobody gets seriously injured." She replied as her eyes focused on Akito. With the couch Takao was sitting on now full of their purchases the only seat open was next to her on the smaller two-seat couch, leading the boy to stand rather awkwardly against the wall, making her nervous.

Hesitantly the girl motioned for the boy to sit beside her on the open seat, bringing the boy to do as instructed, though it was as equally a hesitant. Gently sitting down Akito made sure not to sit too close to the girl who disliked him so greatly, though the small piece of furniture made it rather difficult to maintain any sort of significant distance between them.

This in turn made Jun jealous and caused him to mess up the scroll seal he was working on, forcing him to toss the empty roll of parchment across the kitchen with a mild thud. "Good." He grumbled in an attempt to remain uncontentious as he took a deep breath and stood to his feet, placing the cap back on the marker and setting it on the table as he did so.

Walking over to the back of the couch the two sat on he placed both of his hands it's back and looked down at the boy, focusing on his eyes for only a brief second before looking up at the clock. It was nearly four thirty in the afternoon and with a half hour's walk ahead of them to make it to their six o' clock meeting it was about time they started to get ready, especially if they were going to be there on time.

"We should probably start getting ready to head out. It's about a half hour's walk to the ramen shop from here and with how important this client is it probably couldn't hurt to be early." Jun stated as Kisa too looked up to the clock. They had been so caught up in shopping and talking that they hadn't really looked at the time, shocking her with just how fast it went.

With a sigh Kisa nodded and both her and Takao stood to her feet, the latter of which immediately headed towards his room to finish preparing for their meeting. "Jun's right, we should head out soon." She stated as she turned towards a small desk in the corner of the living where Akito's new flak vest, both of kunai pouches, his clay and shuriken pouch as well as his forehead protector lay neatly stacked.

She had heard Jun's comment about using Akito's skills to help them on their mission, another of his plans involving the boy she had rather disliked, but with their time in Getaru likely not over for at least another night, it seemed he would be once more going out with any of his things.

Looking back to Akito's eyes as he stood up, Kisa sighed. "We are going to leave your things here for the time being. I doubt we will be heading right out for the mission so it is best that you remain as low profile as possible. If something happens we will handle it." She stated as the boy continued to stare at her piercing eyes for a split second before nodding.

Sure, it was awkward and weird without the forehead protector he had spent nearly every day since his childhood wearing around his neck, as well as his weaponry, but he was simply happy to have been permitted to have his hands back; even without the ability to flow chakra through them.

"I trust you." He replied, seemingly speaking to her directly and once again taking her back with his comments. She once more was telling him he could not yet have his freedom, and yet he trusted her to protect him?

Seeing the two once again stare at one another painfully long, Jun leaned forward between the two of them and looked towards Akito with a wide smirk.

"From what I hear we might not to even take care of you at all. Just remember that I can hit you with that paralysis seal even from a distance, so if you try and pull that fancy sign-less disappearing act Kisa told me you did to escape the tree I tied you to, I will drop you like a fly." He threatened as the boy's eyes shifted from his down to the floor in silence.

Reassuring the boy that he was not in control even with his hands unbound brought a smile to Jun's face, prompting him to look towards Takao and then Kisa for a moment before standing up straight.

"Alright everyone, grab your things and lets go. I want everyone on their best behavior." He stated as he yet again glared at Akito from the corner of his eye, causing the boy to avert his vision to the floor. "Especially you, Iwa. Remember what I told you earlier; one false move, it's back in chains."

With his addition of yet another threat Jun walked back to his bedroom to reclaim his shirt and flak jacket, leaving Akito and Kisa alone. Again the girl looked towards their prisoner as his hand reached up and felt the welt where Jun had burned the seal into his skin; his face clearly showing the demoralizing effect of knowing there was really nothing he could do.

"Don't try and fight it. I've seen him activate it on criminals before. It's not something you want to experience." The girl warned in a stern yet slightly compassionate tone, causing Akito to raise his eyes to her temporarily before returning them to the ground.

"I'm not going to run." He responded, to which the girl stealthy grinned, showing not but the smallest curvature of her lips. She didn't have to trust him to know that he meant his word. If he was going to run that time was when he first broke free a week ago, not now.

But it wasn't just that. For some reason he seemed inclined to keep the trouble down between the group, something his escape was sure to heighten, leading her to take what he had to say with less of a grain of salt than before.

"I trust you." She replied in an obvious mimic of his early statement that brought Akito to look at her again, just as both Takao and Jun returned to the living room, fully clothed and equipped. With a nod Kisa opened the door and allowed Jun to take point, leading their team out of the apartment back out to the rainy city streets below.

As Jun believed it took a little more than a half hour to arrive at their client's predetermined rendezvous point on the other side of the city; a ramen bar on the side of the main street running through town. It wasn't all that large, holding little more than fifteen stools along the long bar that ran parallel to the road, but it appeared to be well maintained and the fragrances leading from behind the counter could be smelled for blocks regardless of the rain.

Approaching the shop Jun held out his hand to part the beads hanging down from the edge of the roof. "This is the place." He stated aloud, looking back and forth up the row of stools as he did so. It appeared that they were the only ones in the shop at the time, and that was just fine. The less people around to eavesdrop the better.

Holding the beads open long enough for Takao and Kisa to enter, Jun let the beads strike Akito in the face as he pointed to the complete opposite side of the bar. "Sit down there, order food and be quite. Don't speak to our client, or us while the client is here. You don't know us and we don't know you." He commanded as Akito stared him down.

"You took all of the money I had when I was captured. How would you like me to pay?" He questioned in a spiteful tone as Kisa stepped forward. Knowing that Jun had spent the little paper currency that Akito had on him on the hotel room in expectation of a large payoff from his bounty, the girl reached into her pocket and handed him a small handful of coined ryo, enough for at least a bowl of ramen and possibly a drink.

Seeing the money Akito immediately knew that it wasn't the ryo he had set out with, causing him to have an odd feeling in his stomach. "That's your money. I will be alright." He stated in embarrassment bringing the girl to shake her head.

"I'm buying your dinner, now stop." She contested as she continued to stare at him, holding her eyes to his until he finally reached out to take the coins in her hand; his warm fingers contrasting greatly from the cold metal in her hand, causing her to look towards to Jun to avoid her own slight bout of embarrassment as the man scowled.

"Our client will be here soon. Just let it be." She immediately stated as Jun huffed and moved to sit in the third stool from the left hand side wall of the shop, ignoring Takao as he stared at him for a moment before shifting his eyes to Kisa.

With a small chuckle the blonde man held his hand out in a joking manner. "You paying for my food too?" He questioned with a grin, though as he caught a glare from the girl he too sat down, sitting on Jun's left side furthest to the wall.

Turning back to Akito the girls eyes focused on his hand as he continued to hold her money out towards her, unsure if it was truly okay that he took the gift. He had heard them mention on more than one occasion how important the payout for this mission was to them, and the last thing he wanted to do was make things worse.

Seeing this Kisa stared at him for a second with a blank stare before reaching out and pushing his hand towards his body with hers, once again feeling the warmth from his hands. "Its okay." She insisted before motioning towards the seat all the way down the opposite end of the bar, causing Akito to cease resisting her offer.

"Thank you." He said softly with lingering eyes before turning and walking down to the edge of the bar alone, leaving Kisa staring at him for a moment until she too sat down at the bar between Jun and Takao.

With a silent, ashamed sigh Akito made his way to the very last stool on the right side of the shop and sat down, watching from the corner of his eye as a young female chef approached him. Leaning on the bar between them the girl smiled as she stared at the boy, having never seen him around before.

"Hello there handsome. What can I get for ya?" She questioned with a whimsical tone he assumed was meant to try and lure him into a conversation, though the boy simply smiled a bit and looked up at the sign behind her.

"How about a bowl of the Miso-style? Is that good here?" Akito questioned, bringing the long haired brunette across from him to giggle.

"I make it myself, so I would have to say so." She replied as Akito nodded.

"I will have that then, please." He responded again, handing the girl enough ryo to pay for both it and a glass of water before heading down to the opposite end of the mar and attempting the same flirty routine with Jun and Takao.

"What about you three, how can I help you? You boys certainly look hungry." She question as her eyes turned to Takao and Jun who, catching the girl's smile and the look in her eyes, immediately leaned forward on the bar with a grin of his own.

"Oh we are indeed, miss…?" Jun questioned as the girl again giggled.

"My name is Umi." She replied as the grinning red headed hunk before her nodded.

"Well Umi, I think that I will have the Shio." Jun stated before looking toward Takao, who like Jun smiled at the girl though he also shook his head at Jun's promiscuous behavior.

"The Tonkotsu, please." He requested as Kisa raised her hand to order the same as Takao with a scoff. Jun would flirt with whatever pretty smile with legs came his way, make his repeated attempts to woo her more irritating as time passed by and angering her that she had no choice but to sit in between the two.

"The two of you better keep your pants on." She muttered in annoyance as Umi returned to the back of the bar to begin assembling their food, causing Jun to look at her in confusion.

"What? I wasn't doing anything, just being nice!" He contested as the girl looked to him from the corner of her eye.

"Just shut up and focus on the mission. It's almost five thirty, so the client should be here soon." She warned sternly, bringing Takao to laugh once more.

"Yeah Jun, shut up." He added as the large man leaned to the left a little to catch a glimpse of Umi as she peered over his own shoulder with a sweet smile. "Besides, with the way she was looking at me I'd say you don't stand much of a chance." He added, immediately setting Jun off on a low-key tangent over Kisa's head.

As the two began to bicker the annoyed girl crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh before looking past Jun towards Akito as he sat by himself. It seemed far more peaceful on his end of the table, bringing her to question if it was worth allowing Jun to deal with their client in favor of moving down beside him, though as Kisa weighed her options a cloaked stranger with vibrant colored pants suddenly emerged through the beads and immediately plopped down in the seat beside him in a rather hasty and sharp action.

Her suspicion raised Kisa immediately prepare to stand and ensure this wasn't an attempt by the boy to escape. However as the boy pulled down his hood and revealed his blonde hair, teenage appearance and Konoha forehead protector, she paused.

Seeing the sudden flash from the corner of his own eye Akito's head instantly turned to the figure on his left with a hint of concern, though almost immediately after spotting the boy's bright orange jumpsuit his features softened. "Well if it isn't the rock boy all alone in Konoha's territory." The cheerful figure gleamed with a wide smile as he looked forward at Akito, bringing him to laugh once under his breath.

"Naruto Uzumaki. I'll be damned." Akito immediately replied, turning his stool slightly towards the boy as he did so. "Of all the people I was expecting to see here, you were certainly not one of them. What the hell are you doing all the way up here?" He added as the boy laughed.

"Nothing important, that's for sure. I had to deliver some sort of paperwork to the city's leaders from the Fire Daimyo." Naruto replied as Akito chuckled.

"You're right, that doesn't seem very important." He responded, to which the blonde boy shrugged.

"Eh, it's just Granny Tsunade's way of keeping me out of trouble until something really important comes along. You know, to keep my skills up." Naruto replied as Akito shook his head, bringing Naruto to focus on his appearance. Every time he'd run into Akito before he was always in uniform, or at the very least wearing his forehead protector around his neck, causing him to grin.

"Where's all your stuff? Your fancy vest and your forehead protector? Did they finally realize you weren't deserving of your title and demote you back to genin?" He questioned as Akito chuckled silently, recalling what he was speaking of rather quickly as the boy seemed to bring it up nearly every time they met.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I won that fight fair and square, I didn't cheat." Akito replied as Naruto scoffed.

"Not telling someone that you have a kekkei genkai before sparring with them is definitely cheating!" He complained as Akito laughed and shook his head, looking down at the bar in front of him as he did so.

"Nah, they didn't demote me. My current assignment just kind of got… side tracked." He replied as he looked up at Naruto for a second before peering over his shoulder towards his captors and focusing on Kisa, who's eyes met him in silent question of his intentions, bringing him to shake his head slightly in an effort to reassure her he wasn't going to break his promise.

With his gesture Kisa lowered back down onto her seat in a less tense position and silently sighed relief that she would not have to chase after him, or hear Jun's mouth. When the boy first came inside of the shop she had wondered if this could be the orange-clad shinobi from Konoha who had defeated the missing-nin Zabuza Momochi years ago; a suspicion confirmed by Akito uttering his name.

This was Naruto Uzumaki, the jinchuriki of the nine-tailed fox? This was the boy who helped take down the Demon of the Hidden Mist? If he was this young now that meant he had to have been only thirteen or so back then. How did Akito of all people know him? Did this mean he really was telling the truth about who he was?

Seeing him staring behind him Naruto turned and looked over his shoulder towards the two bickering shinobi and their kunoichi counterpart, catching Kisa's attention for a brief moment before looking back towards Akito and raising his hand to hide his mouth.

"Hey, don't look now but that girl over there is staring at you." He stated as he pointed towards the group of Kiri ninja, causing Akito to narrow his eyes on the boy in exasperation. He may be getting older but it seemed that he had yet to become proficient at reading situations, let alone social cues.

"Yeah, I noticed." Akito replied as Umi walked over and brought a glass of water to Akito's place mat before taking notice to Naruto's presence and smiling wide.

"Hi there! Would you like something to eat as well?" She questioned, to which Naruto shook his head.

"No thank you miss, I'm in a bit of rush to meet up with my partner." He replied, much to Akito's surprise. Naruto was notoriously a ramen fiend and it was highly unlike him to not want a bowl.

"Who are you with today? Sakura?" Akito questioned as the boy nodded.

"Yeah, who else? She's delivering the same paperwork I did to the police station across town. It's just her and me though, Kakashi Sensei is in the hospital. We ended up fighting with an Akatsuki member named Itachi Uchiha and he got messed up pretty bad." The boy replied with a hint of sorrow and worry before looking down at the bar.

Seeing the boy's anguish Akito frowned. He could tell Naruto was rather torn up inside about Kakashi's injuries and although he hadn't said anything he could also tell they had yet to capture their missing team member, Sasuke Uchiha; ironically the brother of the man who had caused his sensei harm.

Itachi Uchiha was widely regarded as being one of the most notorious and dangerous of the known Akatsuki members, and similar to how those from Kiri were told to avoid confronting members of the Explosive Corps, Iwagakure shinobi were expressly prohibited from engaging against the master of genjutsu alone.

Still it was surprising to hear that Kakashi Hatake, a legendary ninja known and feared worldwide, fell victim to Itachi's tricks; especially possessing the same kekkei genkai as Itachi.

"Your sensei is a tough man, Naruto. He will be alright." Akito replied in an effort to raise the boy's spirits, bringing him to lift his head and grin.

"I know he will be, it's just taking forever for him to get back on his feet." Naruto responded before standing back up onto his feet and stretching his back. "Anyway, I better get going. Sakura will kill me if I'm late and I still have to make it all the way across town."

"Yeah you better get going. Next time we meet I will treat you to some ramen, if you have time of course." He stated sarcastically, bringing Naruto to grin as well.

"Yeah, see you around." The boy replied before turning around and heading back through the beads to the rainy street outside.

Watching as Naruto disappeared into the crowd of people still wandering the streets of the city despite the rainfall, Akito slowly turned back around to face forward on the bar just as Umi walked over and placed his steaming bowl of ramen before him.

"Here you go cutie." She hummed with a wink before returning to the kitchen to retrieve ramen for their only other customers while Kisa continued to stare at Akito.

Having watched the Konoha shinobi he was talking to leave she again contemplated moving to his side of the bar. Jun and Takao had yet to cease their carrying on back and forth over top of her, driving her up a wall.

Finally annoyed enough to act Kisa huffed and stood from her seat, but as she attempted to turn to leave towards Akito another cloaked figure parted the beads and entered the bar, causing her to freeze. Unlike the last patron this was clearly a man, not a child, and from what she could see of his face he seemed rather stern.

"Jun Watanabe?" He questioned from beneath his hood as the remainder of group instantly ceased their bickering and turned around to look at the him as Kisa to sat back down.

"That's me. You must our client then, seeing as you knew my name." Jun immediately replied, though the expressionless man simply looked at him for a moment, pulling the hood of his azure cloak from his head to reveal long, dark grey hair tied into a modernized chonmage as well as a seemingly unnatural set of yellow eyes.

His face also had a large scar running across it that seemed to have healed long ago while his teeth each came to a sharp point, similar to those of the now defunct Seven Swordsmen, though the man bared now indicator of having ever been a member. Infact, he bore no indicator of allegiance whatsoever.

"They told me it would be a three man team, so once I determined you were from Kiri, it was only a matter of reasoning." The man responded as he stepped forward towards the group as a whole, landing his resting position directly in front of Kisa.

Almost immediately the girl could feel an eerie sensation come over her at the man's presence, causing her to subconsciously grab her right arm with her left hand as Jun again opened his mouth to speak.

"That would be us. As you already know I am Jun Watanabe and to my right is our medical expert Kisa Hakaru, as well as our resident muscle, Takao Moshi." He stated as he motioned to each of them individually before looking back to their client.

"And your name, sir?" He questioned in an attempt to be as polite and formal as possible, though the man continued to stare at them each individually, making Kisa even more uncomfortable.

"Saburo." The man replied after a few more seconds of silence, causing Jun to clap his hands.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Saburo. Now, why don't you sit on down and tell us all about what the Village Hidden in the Mist can do for you." The team's leader immediately stated, almost instantly bringing Saburo's eyes to lock to him with a bit of annoyance as the man made little effort to sit down.

Instead, Saburo reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll and tossed it to Jun, who upon catching it looked up at the man with a bit of curiosity. "A list?" He questioned as he unrolled the scroll, bringing Saburo to nod.

"Of things that are missing." He replied, watching as Kisa looked at the list as well, taking notice to the large amount of valuable items ranging from artifacts and heirlooms to sums of ryo itself.

"I represent a client in the Land of Waterfalls, near the village of Takigakure. It seems that a number of Taki shinobi have decided to pick a new occupation to compensate for a rather diminished economy in their village, and that would be stealing. Your mission will be, as you can probably assume, to recover these assets." The cloaked man stated as he next handed another scroll over to the group, this time to Kisa, who unrolled it quickly to display a map the Land of Sound, directly to their North.

"That map is the last known location of what we believe is the group's last location, generously provided to us by informants from both Konohagakure and Iwagakure, both of whom have been tracking the bandits as well." Saburo added in a rather stern voice, catching Akito's ear and bringing him to look towards the man.

He had been silently eavesdropping in on their conversation from the very beginning, but this was particularly worth focusing on. Unless this was some sort of breaking story that only come up since he departed Iwa little over two weeks ago he hadn't heard of any group of criminals roaming the continent, causing him to become a bit suspicious.

Examining the map with her own eyes Kisa looked to Jun and tilted it towards him, bringing him to look away from the long list of missing items. "This is a map of the Land of Sound." She stated as Jun raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, ignoring the three bowls of ramen being placed on the table behind him.

"Surely you must be aware that the Land of Sound is considered rather… dicey at the moment. The hidden village in that region-" Their team leader began to explain, bringing Saburo to interrupt.

"I am aware of Otogakure's predicament as well as their legal standing, but this has nothing to do with them other than this group has made their home region their hideout." He interjected with an annoyed tone before pausing to look at each member of the group individually.

"The payout for this assignment is nine hundred thousand ryo, with an additional one hundred thousand to act as a tax buffer for your village; well above the average payout of the mission I noticed listed on Kirigakure's boards. If you don't want the mission I will find someone else. I am sure there are shinobi from Konoha, Iwa and Kumo all jumping at the bit for a mission of this pay grade." Saburo added as Jun looked to Kisa and Takao, the former of the two shaking her head subtly to protest, though he disregarded her concern and shook his head.

"No no, we still intend to complete the mission. Please continue." Jun replied, bringing Saburo to focus on him once again for a brief moment and then take a breath to continue talking.

Even if this mission had nothing to do with Oto it was still inside of the land they claimed as a protectorate, and that alone was touchy. Following Sunagakure and Otogakure's attempt to destroy Konoha, the Mizukage outlawed interfering or dealing with Oto save for self defense, so this appeared to walk the fine line between what was considered acceptable.

But at the same time the money this mission payed out was something they couldn't refused. They couldn't go back to Kiri and hope to find something that paid higher than D or C-Rank assignments. They needed this money.

"As I stated earlier the goal will be to capture or eliminate the men in question and recover the assets. There is an old holdout there, an underground fort from the era of the warring states. It seems that they are held up inside with both the stolen items from around the Land of Waterfalls as well as countless other treasures they've accumulated. Most of them are those who failed as shinobi and never achieved much more than the rank of genin, but I can't guarantee you won't see any stronger opponents." Saburo continued before looking to a clock at the end of the bar.

"Myself and a few others will be at the location in three days to recover the assets, not including today, so we will be leaving the bandits to you. You will receive your compensation for the assignment at that time as well. Are there any other questions?" He added as Jun shook his head.

"Does this bandit group have a name, or maybe a leader that Konoha or Iwa identified? Just in case we have to start looking around in the event that they are not in their hole." Takao spoke up as the client looked towards him and again stared at him for a second before replying.

"No, there is not. They will be exactly where I said they were, I assure you." Saburo reassured before returning his vision to their determined leader. "Any more questions?"

"I think we have everything we need. We will head out first thing in the morning and we will see you there in about four days. Sounds good." He replied, once again causing Saburo to state at him with a blank face until a wide grin slowly crept across his features; a grin that Kisa felt was far too extreme for it to be genuine.

After a second more the man pulled his hood up over top of his head and turned around to leave the shop. "Good luck, ninja." He stated before stepping outside into the rain and disappearing in the crowd like Naruto had done moments before.

Waiting for their client to completely disappear before saying or doing anything, Jun turned back towards his squadmates and exhaled a deep breath. "Well that was tense." He stated as he shifted from Takao's unamused face to Kisa's, which harbored an angered scowl.

"The Land of Sound? You've got to be joking. You know going to that place is just asking for trouble." She immediately protested as Jun scoffed.

"What do you want me to do Kisa, huh? Tell him no and lose out on that payout? I had to brown-nose the _hell_ out of Lady Mei to get this assignment. Do you really want to tell the Mizukage that we bitched out at the last second and gave the assignment to one of the other villages? I certainly don't." He replied in an angered attempt to defend his decision, bringing the girl to focus forward at their food.

Having to report back that they abandoned the assignment would have indeed been rather painful regardless of the situation, and even though not everything was about the money Jun was right. They needed this.

This notion did not ease her anger however, and after a moment the girl picked up her bowl and stood from her stool before promptly walking towards Akito, leaving Jun with a shocked expression on his face.

"Kis-" He began to contest, though as he did so Umi returned to the bar in front of them and leaned on the counter towards the man, once again trying her best to seem alluring.

"So, what are you two fine Kiri shinobi doing in our part of the woods, hmm?" She questioned with an innocent hum, drawing Jun to look at her and then back to Takao, who had already pulled a large amount of noodles into his mouth before freezing to stare at the beautiful woman in front of him.

With a sigh Jun turned back to Umi and began to converse with the girl as Kisa sat down in the same seat his Konoha friend had abandoned not too long before, bringing the boy to look towards her as he blew on a wad of noodles to cool them down.

"Friends with Konoha's jinchuriki I see." She stated as she seperated her own chopsticks and began to stir her ramen, looking up at him as she did so.

Surprised by her actions Akito placed his noodles in his mouth and nodded. "Yeah, kinda." He stated before remembering his manners and finished chewing before attempting to speak again. "We met back when I was genin, enrolled in Konoha's experimental Genin Exchange Program. He wasn't even an academy student back then. We've stayed in touch, though it has mostly been passing exchanges like this."

Curious, Kisa's head tilted a bit as she too took a bite of her food. "Exchange Program? When did they do that?" She questioned as Akito searched for a piece of pork under the exuberant amount of noodles in his bowl.

"About eight years ago. Naruto was only about… eight at the time, I was eleven." He stated as he recalled his time in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, bringing a small smile to his face that Kisa noticed almost immediately.

"That's strange. I was under the assumption that Iwa and Konoha hated one another, and I certainly wouldn't have ever guessed they would be open to such a progressive idea." She replied as he laughed.

She was right to think that the two villages were acting out of character to have agreed to something like that. Even during his time there it seemed like the two villages continued to bicker, though it was significantly more low key than years prior.

"So what all did that entail? Were you placed in a team with Konoha genin, or…?" She again questioned to break up the short-lived silence that developed between them, bringing him to look back at her. Was she really that curious?

"I was paired with the only other member of the exchange program at the time, a young girl from Amegakure; a kekkei genkai wielder just like me. We were the first two in the program, used as a sort of experiment to see how the program would go." He began to explain, pausing as his memories involuntarily recalled the girl he spoke of; her tan skin and dark, curly hair as clear in his mind as it was the day he first laid eyes on her.

"Our sensei was a young jounin from Konoha with bright red hair. She wasn't too excited to be taking two foreign children on as her first students, but she always treated us with understanding and respect." Akito added as he recalled his teacher's tall, slender frame and words of wisdom he could still remember to this day.

Hearing his mention of his team Kisa's eyes focused on the boy as his smile slowly faded and he began to aimlessly stare at the food before him, reminding her of his reaction earlier when she mentioned Amegakure. Was this the personal matter he spoke of?

Pushing the conversation forward to hear more, Kisa turned towards him a bit and prepared another mouthful of food between her chopsticks.

"Two kekkei genkai users must have made for an effective squad, even with only two members." She stated as he shrugged.

"It did, our first mission made that clear. We ended up facing off against against another team of shinobi well above our own experience level. The mission ended in technical failure, but we handled our own… and killed the two men sent after us." He replied, again referencing something they had spoke of earlier.

The way he spoke made it seem as if their adversaries where chunin, if not jounin, and for two genin and their sensei to kill older, more experienced ninja is impressive. This was where he must have almost lost his arm, so she would have to assume their foes were rather ruthless.

But still, for genin to be placed in a situation where they were to kill anyone, must have been hard; especially if the mission was a failure. What was their objective that they would have failed in the end?

Sensing the conversation was heading in a direction he didn't want to go, Akito looked back to Kisa with a hint of worry.

"I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation with your client, but something doesn't seem right. Iwa doesn't have any information regarding a roaming group of bandits from Takigakure like that man claimed, or at least when I left they didn't. That may have changed since then, but I don't know for sure. We should be careful." He stated as he gathered another piece of pork.

Focusing back to his eyes as the concern on his face became clear Kisa shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Jun took on this job and like every other time he's done this we will pull through." She replied, though a small smile slowly formed on her lips.

She could tell he purposely diverted their conversation away from the exchange program, reinforcing her assumption that the girl from Ame must have been a sore subject for him. He hadn't pushed the topic of her father's death when he had the chance, so in turn she would not question him any more about this.

"But thank you. I appreciate it." Kisa added instead before beginning to eat the rest of her food. She knew he was a little uneasy about the mission he would be involuntarily taking part in and although she was doing her best to hide it, so was she.

Over the rest of their meal the two continued to chat back and forth about a wide variety of things, while across the bar both Jun and Takao remained with Umi who, although Jun had told no, insisted on pouring both Takao and Jun a drink on the house.

By the time they made their way back to the apartment it was nearly eight thirty, prompting a rather inebriated Takao to turn in early in preparation to head out at dawn, while in the living room Kisa and Jun sat discussing their plan of action, leaving Akito to sit in silence on the couch opposite of them.

"If Saburo was right and they are nothing more than bandits and failed genin, it won't be so bad." Jun stated as he tried his best to reassure Kisa that everything would work out in the end, though the girl shook her head.

"I don't necessarily trust him. If these bandits were as big of a problem as he's made them out to be, why haven't we heard of them until now? And why is he so certain they are there?" She questioned as she looked towards Akito, recalling what he said.

"If we knew who their leader was we could take him down first and possibly cause the others to surrender. It just doesn't seem right, and the client himself was… strange." She added as Jun scoffed at her reply.

"This one is strange and you seem to have taking a liking to him." He responded in an almost passive-aggressive tone as he pointed towards Akito.

Instantly Kisa's eye returned back to Jun in annoyance as he once again scoffed and stood to his feet.

"Besides." He stated as he walked towards Akito, stopped right in front of him and placed his hands on his hips.

It had been some time since the boy showed any true opposition to his control, leading him to believe he had become fully submissive.

"We will have him with us, and I have a feeling that will be more than enough to handle a bunch of thugs." He stated as he motioned for the boy to stand up and waited for a second or two before reaching out with chakra in his fingertips, tearing off the seals that were wrapped around the boy's palms.

Shocked, Akito immediately flipped his hands over as chakra once again coursed through his pathway system to the mouths on his palms, bringing them out of their temporary hibernation as they opened to show their teeth, all while Kisa watched.

This was a bold move on Jun's end, allowing someone he had treated so harshly to be set free like this, even if he intended to use the boy as a weapon to complete their mission. From what she had seen he was easily capable of defending himself and she was sure he could do just as well on the offensive. Wasn't Jun the least bit nervous?

Looking back up to Jun as the man stood still in anticipation of gratitude, Akito narrowed his eyes. "How do you know I won't kill you right now?" He questioned as Jun held up his right hand in a hand sign.

"Because I will turn you into a vegetable with one more sign. You may be free, but that is because I chose to free you." He stated as the two continued to state each other down.

"You will help us complete this mission and then you will come with us to Kiri to be processed. If you betray us or so much as raise a hand to strike us, I will bring you down, and I will kill you. At this point I am more than willing to take the loss for handing in a corpse to avoid all of the frustration." Jun added as Akito's eyes shifted to Kisa, who stared at him once more with a silent plea for his compliance, bringing him to sigh.

"Whatever." He huffed as he sat back down on the couch and once again looked at the mouths on his palms. There was no use in fighting what Jun was telling him as even if he was to take Jun down he would then need to fight Takao and Kisa, and that was something he had no desire to do.

Satisfied with again expressing his control of their prisoner, Jun grinned and placed his hands back on his hips.

"Glad to see we still hold that understanding. We will be leaving early in the morning, before sunrise. I suggest you two both get some sleep." He stated as he turned back to Kisa and started to walk towards his bedroom, leaving the Kisa and Akito.

Looking back to Akito, Kisa's eyes immediately locked to his hands as he pulled his gloves off to inspect his kinjutsu's reactivation as well as allow his gloves to fully dry, since he had been forced to wear them for over a week straight without taking them off.

This had to have been one of the oddest things she had ever seen, and even though it was slightly disgusting she couldn't help but find the whole thing extremely interesting.

Curiosity was once again getting the better of her, this time from a medical perspective, but her better judgment was kicking in. She had spoken with the boy quite a bit today, more than she had talked to any one single person in a while.

After her father's death socializing fell by the wayside in favor of her studies and evolution as a shinobi, even with her friends and more often than not Juna and Takao. But ever since picking up their prisoner a week ago that seemed to have slowly changed, and she wasn't entirely sure she liked it.

"Does that hurt?" She questioned regardless as the boy looked up at her, subconsciously closing the mouths as he did so in a bit of embarrassment.

"It did at first. Now it just… feels different." He replied, bringing her to nod in acknowledgement before she stood up from the couch and removed her forehead protector from her head to get ready to sleep, allowing her hair to flow naturally.

"We should get some rest too. It's a long walk to our destination and we won't know what we are up against until we get there." She stated as Akito nodded and looked towards the sliding door that led out onto the balcony.

Without saying anything else he stood from his seat and stepped towards the door to return to the same balcony he spent the night prior, only to have the girl reach out and gently grab his shirt to stop him as she motioned to the couch.

"Get some rest." She stated, bringing Akito to look at her as she too began to head towards her bedroom, pausing once to look at him with a small, gentle smile.

"Goodnight, Akito."

"Goodnight."


	6. Chapter 6: A Land of Sound

As planned the group set out for the Land of Sound first thing in the morning before the sun had even risen over Getaru City, breaking apart the clouds that had produced several inches of rain over the course of the past two days. They would have only two days to both arrive at the hideout and take care of the occupants before the man known as Saburo and his party arrive to take care of the reclaimed treasure, so it was imperative that they move quick.

Their plan was to make it to within a mile or so of their destination before making camp for the night, and with everyone in the group now capable of moving at top speed once again, it was a plan they easily completed.

Almost entirely recovered from his injuries and running on his first decent night's sleep in nearly two weeks, Akito was finally starting to feel himself again, especially after being allowed to use his chakra and abilities again, under Jun's supervision of course. He also allowed him to carry his usual array of weapons including his explosive clay, all of which were summoned from a reserve scroll kept in his pouch.

Arriving at their waypoint the group quickly set up camp for the night and made their final preparations for the next day, storing anything they wouldn't need to fight in a safe location until the could come back for it before heading off to bed, taking turns throughout the night keep watch.

When morning came they immediately continued on their journey north towards the location provided to them by their client, making sure to follow the directions carefully to avoid getting lost in the thick, endless forest that seemed to encompass the entire land. However despite the obstacles in their way the ground found what they were looking for a little after nine in the morning, and with an anxious cloud hanging over their heads moved in to begin their operation.

The entrance to the facility in question was rather minimalistic in design, being a small, shrine-line structure in the middle of a large open field and, for a fortress, was rather exposed. There was little foliage to help aid in it's concealment and from what they could tell the bandits had not placed any sentries around its perimeter.

"Alright, what's the plan?" Takao questioned as the group of four knelt down in the field's treeline, carefully watching for any sign of trouble on the horizon while Jun used his sensory abilities to see through the thick forest.

"We have the element of surprise at the moment, and if we can maintain that advantage we could end this fight before it even starts." Kisa added as Jun closed his eyes and deactivated his eyes.

He didn't see anything in the forest, but the layers of the fortress below the surface must have been made of thick stone or metal, jamming his senses and keeping him from seeing anything. "I agree. I don't see anyone around, so I think drawing them out into a trap is a good idea." He added as Kisa looked to Akito, who thus far had remained silent.

"Akito?" She questioned in an effort for him to suggest his own ideas, bringing Akito to look out at the field, and then back to her.

"Jun's plan can work. I can create explosive landmines and deploy them under the ground from here." He stated as Jun's grin grew wider.

"See, even he thinks my idea is good!" Jun whispered loudly as Akito spoke again.

"I never said it was a good idea. I just said it could work." He added as he pulled a handful of clay from his pouch and fed it to both of his hands while beside him Kisa grinned.

Looking to Takao as he snickered as well, Jun huffed and looked back to the boy. "Let's be serious here. Iwa, you deploy those mines and me and Takao will set up the trap. Kisa, keep us covered." He added as the two of them stood up and quickly made their way to the field.

Drawing a medium-sized scroll from a pouch on the back of his vest as they neared the center of the field Jun began to unravel his trap to deploy it in the ground and immediately knelt to place it at the shrine's descending steps, but before he could do so he felt a presence flicker past him, followed by the sudden appearance of feet before his eyes.

Following the feet up to the man they were attached to Jun prepared to speak to what he assumed would be a Takigakure bandit, but as his eyes continued up they landed upon something truly concerning; a forehead protector displaying the symbol of Otogakure.

Immediately Jun stood and backed up, bumping into Takao as both men looked around at the fifteen Hidden Sound shinobi who now formed a circle around them, cutting them off from escape as well as their allies.

"What are two Kiri shinobi doing all the way up here in the Land of Sound? This is Otogakure's territory and you have no place here." The man dictated, bringing Jun to look back at the man in front of him as he swallowed nervously. Did these sound ninja drive the bandits out of the fort, or were they at the wrong place?

"I assure you this must be a mistake. We did not intend to infringe on your villages sovereignty, we were simply looking for a group of bandits who were reported to have been using this underground… shrine as a hideout, but clearly that is not the case." Jun stated in an attempt to defuse the situation before it escalated any further, though as the man before drew a kunai out and spun it around his finger to grasp it in his hand it became clear his plan wasn't working.

"Well then, I guess we'll just be on our way-" Jun attempted to add as another of the shinobi stepped towards them and cracked his knuckles.

"You aren't going anywhere, not after finding this place. Nobody gets to just leave." The man stated as a kunoichi spoke up now, waving her long black hair over her shoulder as she did so.

"Bandits? Sounds like some lame excuse to try and escape from the trouble they are in." She stated as the group as a whole stepped closer in towards them, forcing Takao and Jun to draw their weapons as conflict began to see inevitable.

Watching the Oto shinobi as they began to close in on her friends, Kisa ground her teeth in disgust. She knew that this whole situation was too janky to be legitimate, and now it appeared that their client had tricked them into walking right into an Otogakure stronghold. Why, she did not know, but whatever the reason it was not good.

"We have to help them." She stated as she attempted to stand only to be stopped as Akito reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder. Looking back towards him in annoyance and confusion she watched as he looked around them in the woods for a moment.

"I haven't deployed my landmines yet." Akito said as his hands expelled the clay out into his palms before pressing them together, causing Kisa to grimace.

"So? We can't let them fight them alone, they will overwhelm them before we can even react." She contested as Akito looked to her for a moment before taking both handfuls of clay and pressing them to the dirt below.

Abstaining from answering, he directed both clay balls to burrow down into the ground below him and towards the large group of hostiles, leaving a trail of clay that ran to his palms, leaving Kisa to watch anxiously as the situation ahead of them boiled over.

"Let's not get hot headed now, this is all just a mis-" Jun again attempted to reason with the sound ninja around them only to instantly be charged by the man who originally made contact while another ran straight for Takao.

"Enough talk!" He exclaimed as Jun prepared to strike back, but as both men neared their Kiri targets the ground beneath their feet exploded, sending both of them flying into the air past one another.

Surprised, Jun jumped a bit by the sudden explosion and began to turn towards Akito and Kisa to see if it was indeed them who caused it before being forced to parry another attacker away as the circle began to close in on them.

"Alright, now let's go." Akito stated as he stood up from the bush and instantly detected a handful of shuriken flying towards them from the side, prompting Kisa to gasp and create an ice wall to defend them, though not a second later a bomb-tag equipped kunai pierced into the ice and began to burn.

Grabbing Kisa's hand, Akito immediately pulled both of them into the ground before the bomb could detonate and reemerged in the field between where they had been and the battle raging around their teammates.

"There's more of them." Kisa stated as Akito left go of her hand and stepped back, watching as several more ninja ran from the treeline towards them, causing him to grunt. They were completely surrounded and outnumbered by odds seemingly greater than six to one. Why were there so many Sound shinobi here?

With a huff Akito charged forward towards the encroaching group of shinobi from the trees and slide across the ground to knock a combatant's feet out from him before jumping back up to his feet, grabbing another's face and using his momentum to slam him to the ground with tremendous force.

Following his cue Kisa ran forward as well, using her own kekkei genkai to freeze a shinobi in place long enough for her to close the distance between them and pelt him with senbon before another stepped into save the man, driving Kisa back as the two exchanged parries rapidly back and forth.

"Stone and Mist working together, how very strange! I guess opposites do attract!" The ninja exclaimed as the two ground their kunais together again, angering her greatly. Knocking the kunai out of his hand the girl immediately moved in and rammed her shoulder into his chest to push him back before elbowing him as hard as possible in the jaw, breaking it instantly.

Disoriented and in great pain, the sound ninja staggered backwards allowing Akito to blast him up into the air from the ground below as well, giving Kisa time to look towards him as he pointed back towards Jun and Takao, both of whom were doing their best to prevent being overrun and slaughtered.

He had hoped to stem the flood of Otogakure shinobi coming towards them to buy them whatever time they needed to fight their way out but it seemed that plan wasn't working, forcing them to react or risk losing their friends.

"Go!" She exclaimed as she froze the remaining active Oto shinobi to the ground and turned to run towards the circle, avoiding an oncoming shinobi in the process as once again Takao and Jun moved back to back.

Both swords drawn Takao rebounded against Jun's body and charged back into the fray, spinning around in a whirlwind of steel and causing Oto ninja to deflect, dodge or risk being bisected in half while Jun rapidly formulated a large water technique and expelled it from his mouth, washing several enemies all the way to the tree line in an attempt to thin out the swarm.

"There are so many of them, what the hell is this place?!" He yelled out as he immediately substituted himself for a log to avoid being struck multiple times over by a barrage of shuriken and reappeared behind the shinobi who launched the attack.

"I don't know, but could this really be the place Saburo was talking about?!" Takao replied back as he cleaved an unsuspecting ninja in two with his broadsword and prepared to strike another, though an opposing swordsmen blocked his attacks and launched own, bringing Takao to dodge several times before being sliced across his cheek by the very tip of the man's blade.

"Gotcha!" The shinobi mocked before activating a specialized gauntlet on his free hand to send Takao flying backwards with a massive blast of wind towards a group of waiting sound nin, but before he could reach them a rock wall suddenly appeared behind him to stop his flight.

Annoyed but not out of options, the shinobi then charged towards Takao and pulled back his sword to finish the job, unaware that from his side came Akito; his fist reared to unleash his own attack.

"Huh?!" The swordsman exclaimed at the final second as Akito slammed into him fist first, knocking him off target before landing in front of Takao and looking him over rapidly.

"Are you alright?" He questioned between breaths as Kisa slid to a stop beside him, bringing Takao to grin and wiped the blood running across his face. He figured the wall was Akito, though he wished it could have been made of something a bit softer.

"Thanks for the hand." Takao stated as Jun too came to a stop beside the group and shook his hands, both sore from taijutsu.

"Nice of you to join us." He mocked as he looked round at the group rapidly reassembling around them, still numbering nearly fifteen or so.

"It would be great if we could fight a group on equal ground for once." He added, watching from the corner of his eye as Kisa formed two large handfuls of ice senbon in her hands in preparation to strike while Akito reloaded clay into his mouths.

"I know, right?" Takao replied as he eyed up the sword wielding shinobi with the sound disruptor again, not wanting to be caught off guard again with his blast. "What's the plan?"

Hearing Takao's question Jun laughed and pulled a scroll from his pouch, summoning the same large chain he had during their fight against the Kusagakure shinobi over a week ago. "Looks like we have no choice but to keep fighting until they give up." He stated as the sound kunoichi from before laughed.

"Give up? You don't get it, do you. The only way this fight is going to end is when all four of you are dead!" She exclaimed as she darted forward and raised her fist to strike Jun, though he swiftly intercepted her and knocked her to the ground.

Before the woman had a chance to recoil Jun stepped forward and grabbed her arm while simultaneously pressing his foot onto the girl's side, causing her to cry out in pain as he held her there.

"The only one who is going to die here is you and all of your friends. Now let us go." He demanded as the girl's pained expression rapidly changed to a laugh, causing Jun to look at her.

"What's so funny?" He questioned with a grin as the girl pulled up the sleeve on her free arm with her teeth, revealing a large metal gauntlet similar to the one used to knock back Takao. Without hesitation she flushed her chakra through it, instantly causing the group to cover their ears to protect them from the high-frequency screeching coming from the device while below two Oto shinobi suddenly dove from the ground with kunai in their hand, both aiming straight for Jun's neck.

Disoriented and unable to react appropriately Jun attempted to duck to avoid the blades, but before he could do so Akito summoned rock spikes from the ground and speared the attacker to his right, forcing the man to the left to jump upward out of his hole to avoid the fatal blow.

"Too slo-" He exclaimed as the tip of his kunai pressed to Jun's neck, though he hadn't expected Takao to dash into him, knock him away from the man just as the blade dug into his flesh while below the kunoichi beneath Jun, horrified by the mutilated corpse beside her, stood and fled, freeing them from her sonic grasp and allowing Jun to grab his neck with a gasp before watching as Akito dashed forward to meet the threat at hand.

Almost immediately under attack by the man Takao knocked away, Akito drew a kunai from his pouch and rapidly parried the man's blade away before ducking to avoid a volley of shuriken aimed towards him by another, leaving the staggering first opponent open to form hand signs.

"You fool!" The sound ninja exclaimed as Akito grabbed his wrist to disrupt his ninjutsu and headbutted him, though it didn't stun the man as he had hoped, resulting in him being punched twice in the stomach before he could recover and push himself away.

Staggering backwards Akito parried the man's kunai to the side and swung his own, which passed over his opponents head as he dodged and lodged his blade into Akito's arm, causing him to yelp in pain and his anger to become apparent.

In a rage Akito grabbed the man's collar and kneed him as hard as he could in the stomach before grabbing and swiftly breaking his neck.

"Kill that Iwa brat!" One of the Otogakure shinobi exclaimed as a group of three ninja charged the boy who dashed forward and kicked the first one in the stomach before bypassing him in favor of a second, who he grabbed by the face and slammed into the ground like he did before.

However, unlike the last time he used this tactic, Akito activated his kekkei genkai, causing his head to explode with a rather powerful exploding palm, spraying blood and pieces of the man's head across the ground around them, mortifying those who watched on.

Still facing two more shinobi Akito stood back up engaged the third member of the group in a series of extreme taijutsu before he too fell victim to Akito's kekkei genkai, spraying more human debris across the ground as his body disappeared shocking both the Oto shinobi as well as his allies, including Kisa, who watched on with wide eyes as she continued to shake the ringing in her ears.

He had almost single handedly killed several shinobi in the matter of seconds, two of which stood no chance of defending themself against his extremely destructive kekkei genkai. Was this his kekkei genkai's true power? Was this why they were taught to avoid them at all costs?

Recovering from the boy's rough hit, the first of the Oto shinobi to attack Akito spun around and eyed the boy with a murderous gnashing of teeth as he grabbed ahold of his bleeding arm. "You fucking monster!" He exclaimed as he dashed forward towards him and drew a pair of tantos from his waistline, planning to catch him off guard.

Preparing to strike the shinobi flung both blades above his head and jumped towards the boy, but before he reached Akito he was speared several by a series of large Kisa's ice spikes from below, killing him instantly.

Turning to see the man's body suspended in ice, Akito looked to Kisa and nodded to thank her as the team regrouped into a four way back-to-back formation, watching around them as the remaining Otogakure ninja looked to one another, unsure if it was worth continuing their attack.

"Yeah, that's right! We have _two_ kekkei genkai users in this squad! Not so god damn tough now, are we?!" Jun taunted as he held pressure on his neck, bringing Takao to grin.

"Sure seems that way to me!" He added in, replacing his largest sword in its sheath to focus on more agile kenjutsu as he did so. There were still outnumbered and it seemed that speed would be much more advantageous than brute strength.

Keeping a close eye on the shinobi closest to them, Kisa looked over towards Akito as blood dripped down, then to Jun who she knew had been cut on the neck somewhere.

"Are you all alright?" She questioned as Jun laughed.

"Yeah I'll be fine. They didn't get my face, so, you know. No big deal." He replied in his true narcissistic fashion, bringing her to focus on Akito as the boy simply nodded.

"I'm alright." He replied as he too continued to watch their enemies until all of a sudden those who remained alive disappeared, flickering out of the area as fast as they came and causing the group to look around in surprise.

Waiting a few seconds before opening his mouth, Jun scoffed. "Really? All that big talk and they ran away?" He questioned as he looked around at the carnage around them, focusing on the shinobi Akito had killed that were, by far, the most gruesome looking of the corpses.

"Scared them off with that demonic-like rampage of yours not-Deidara, good job." He added as Akito looked to him and then to Kisa before looking down at his bloodied arm in disgust. During his fury he had looked over to make sure that none of them had needed help, and in that time he spotted Kisa's shocked expression judging his every move.

She already believed he was a monster and without a doubt watching him tear human flesh to pieces only furthered that believe.

Shaking her head at Jun's comments, Kisa walked towards the boy and placed her hands to his wound without asking, quickly sealing the deep puncture while they had an opportunity.

"Luckily he didn't tear it off. I'm not trained to reattach a limb." She stated as Akito smiled a bit.

"Thank you." He replied as Jun scoffed and pointed to his neck.

"Hey, what about me and Takao! I said he did a good job, not that he deserves first treatment!" Jun complained as Takao shrugged.

"Mine's just a tiny little thing, I'll survive." He stated as he looked closer at Jun's as well and snickered.

"Infact, so is yours! Stop being a baby!" He added as Jun turned and scowled at him without hesitation, preparing to unleash another tirade before a sudden tremor in the ground below rippled through the opening, causing them all to freeze.

Standing still, the group looked around themselves rapidly except for Jun, who immediately looked towards Akito, as he was the only Earth Release user amongst them.

"What are you doing?" He questioned as he began to walk towards them, only to jump back as a large, rock wall emerged from the ground in a large circle around them.

As it came near a point near the top the ground again shook violently and without warning collapsed, revealing a large, open hall beneath them over sixty feet down.

Gasping as they began to descend and the light faded from the dome, Kisa reached out to grab Akito as the boy did the same, but became separated as a piece of the ground flipped vertically between them.

"Akito!" She cried out as the boy disappeared into the darkness with his hand outstretched towards her, causing her to scream in fear until her voice was drowned out by the sound of the large stone floor crashing into the hall below, filling with a heavy dust cloud as silence slowly crept over the darkness.

Landing harshly on his side, Jun choked out a gasp of pain followed shortly behind by a chain of coughs as he desperately tried to see where he was. It was beyond dark in the hall, so much so that he could not tell if his eyes were even open, causing his heart to race.

"Kisa!" He cried out as he pushed a piece of the ground above off of him and stood uneasily on the debris. "Takao! Akito! Anyone!" He exclaimed as out of desperation he activated his sensory abilities and began to desperately around, just as Takao stood from the ground behind him, tossing a large stone to the side as he did so.

"I'm here, I'm here. Where's Kisa and Akito?" He questioned as Jun rapidly spun around to look at Takao nearly thirty feet away before searching for the others.

"I-I don't know, I can't see her! Kisa!" He exclaimed again as he frantically searched around. "That boy did this, I know he did! I'm going to kill him!" Jun continued as in the distance Akito opened his eyes.

"Ngg…" He grunted as he attempted to stand, only to immediately be greeted with an overbearing weight on top of him. Turning himself to get his arm out from underneath his body, he tried to push himself with all his might, though he was only able to lift the rock a tiny bit.

What happened? He tried to sink into the stone below when he hit the bottom as he had done before to escape death when falling from a high place, but he couldn't. Was the floor in the place made of metal? That would explain why it didn't work, but why would it be a metal floor? Where was everyone?

Within a second Akito's eyes grew wide as their final moments of daylight flashed back to him, including Kisa's eyes as she reached out for him. Where was she? Did she survive the fall?!

"K-Kisa..." The boy immediately called in a weak tone as he continued to fight his way out from the stone above him, coughing harshly over and over again from the dust in the air, bringing Takao to catch his voice.

"Akito, is that you? Where are you, and where is Kisa?" He called out as Akito continued to cough.

"I-I don't know, I-" He stuttered as he managed to pull a knee to his chest for more leverage, channeling chakra into his legs to assist him in moving the stone above him while across the hall Jun snarled.

"What did you do Iwa?! I swear to god if Kisa is hurt, I-I'll fucking kill you!" He screamed as Akito finally dislodged the boulder on top of him and stood up, trying to see in the darkness as he ignored Jun's threat.

"Kisa?" Akito questioned as he grabbed his freshly healed arm and winced in pain, the fall likely having irritated his previous break though it did not seem to have fractured again.

"Ki-" He prepared to call again but froze as he heard coughing in the distance to his right; coughing that wasn't Jun or Takao's.

"K-Kisa? Kisa, where are you?!" He questioned loudly as the girl slowly opened her eyes to the darkness that had overtaken them, her heart racing faster than ever before.

"J-Jun, Takao?" She questioned as Akito spun around, trying his best to locate where she was.

"A-Akito?!" She yelled as he called back.

"I-I'm here! Are you hurt?!" He immediately asked as he climbed on top of the rock he had just flipped off of himself.

"I don't know, I-I…" She began as she attempted to move, only to cry out in pain at the discovery that her right leg seemed to not only be pinned by a large stone, but broken as well.

"M-my leg is pinned. I think it's broke." She whimpered as she tried her hardest to dislodge the rock pinning her down to no avail.

Hearing the pain in her voice Akito cringed and his skin crawled with worry. If she was showing signs of pain her injuries must have been exceptionally bad; he needed to reach her and set her free before anything else happened.

"Just stay there, we will be right over!" Takao called from across the distance as Jun formed a small ball of light in the palm of his hand and held it up to try and see the two.

This may have been effective in helping Jun and Takao see, but from where Akito stood it was little more than a faint glow over top of the massive pile of debris in the center of the room, causing him to grow more anxious. Was she beneath that rubble?

Unable to control himself Akito stepped forward cautiously into the dark, trying to regulate his breathing and his racing heart as much as he possibly could to listen for the girl, who hearing rubble moving called his name again.

"A-Akito?" She questioned as he stopped to listen for her and turned further towards her.

"I'm here, I didn't leave you. Just hold on a bit longer." He said softly in an effort to keep her calm, though as he did so he heard another noise that quickly turned into multiple noises all around him; noises that Takao now heard as well.

Trying to move closer to the pile of debris in the center of the hall, Takao reached out and held up his hand in front of Jun to stop his advance.

"Jun, listen…" He said as he looked around, bringing Jun to do the same before he again activated his senses and searched the darkness.

Almost immediately Jun's eyes widened as through the darkness he could see multiple chakra sources shifted around in the debris towards them as well as some that seemed to be making their way over the center hill towards Kisa and Akito, causing him to gasp.

"They are all around us!" He exclaimed as Akito drew a knife with his left hand, trying to see around him. This was likely where the Oto ninja had went. They could defeat them in open combat, so the resorted to this trap to weaken them and then move in for the kill while their enemy was blind.

To make matters worse he still couldn't find Kisa and if the enemy shinobi knew where he was they certainly knew her location as well.

Hearing the footsteps with her own ears Kisa's breath quivered, both in pain and fear. She was pinned and unable to move, which in turn meant that her ability to defend herself was greatly diminished. She was stuck, the footsteps around her were getting closer by the second and time was running out.

"I-I hear them too." She whispered anxiously as Akito zeroed in on her voice, growing more concerned by the second.

"I'm almost to you, just a bit more!" He replied, though no more than a second later Kisa emitted a cry of pain as the rock she was trapped under suddenly became heavier and a snickering voice filled the space around her.

"There you are, little one." The voice stated as the sound of a pouch or holster unclasping echoed in the dark, causing her to scream out in fear.

"AKITO!" She cried, the scream piercing Akito's ears and driving his adrenaline through the roof as he rapidly formed hand signs and looked towards where he believed Kisa was trapped.

"Shield yourself!" He commanded out to the girl as he inhaled a deep, deep breath of air and forced chakra into his lungs, gathering so much that his chest felt like it would burst before exhaling a massive amount of fire into the darkness before him.

Doing as he instructed Kisa immediately formed a crystalized ice dome over herself just as the stream of fire began to leave his mouth, protecting her from the massive inferno that engulfed the area around her, including the multiple unsuspecting Oto ninja moving towards her.

Instantly the area around her small ice dome lit up as the fire continued to roll over her until finally dissapaiting, leaving enough burning debris and corpses of those who hadn't survived his sudden attack to illuminate the collapsed shaft in a dark red glow, finally giving Akito a glimpse of where she was.

His attack had nearly melted through the thick ice of her dome, but it did its job, and as she saw the boy running towards her she allowed it to collapse to the ground.

"Kisa!" He exclaimed as he dashed forward toward the girl a few yards away, instantly obliterating a survivor who stood near her trying to extinguish the flames before turning to her.

"Hey, hey, I'm here, I'm here." He rapidly repeated as he slid to a stop by her side, watching the girl struggle to lift herself up onto her elbows.

"Took y-you long enough." She grunted with a small, relieved smile as Akito looked down at the rock pinning her down before immediately standing and grabbing the large, flat surface with his hands.

"Just hold on, I'm going to get you out." He replied as he then tried to lift the large piece of debris on her leg, causing her to whimper once again in pain.

"C-Careful." She grunted as Akito strained himself to lift the stone for a few seconds before slowly laying it down again. It was extremely heavy, far heavier than the one that had initially pinned him to the floor. How was he going to lift this without causing her any more pain?

Having progressed to almost the top of the debris pile before being forced to avoid the very end of Akito's fireball, Takao and Jun found themselves once again besieged from all sides as the Oto nin surrounding them began to make their move.

"Mother fuckers, get back!" Jun cursed as he struck out against two of the men with a fierce bout of one handed taijutsu while making sure to keep the light in his left hand lit, ensuring he and Takao didn't return to the dark.

He wasn't entirely sure what had caused the flame that nearly burned all the hair from his head, but it only served to further his worry over Kisa's fate.

This was all eerily similar to their fight nearly a week ago against the bounty hunters from Kusagakure, but unlike then Kisa was hurt and with Akito on the loose he didn't trust the boy not to take advantage of the situation.

"We have to get to Kisa!" He exclaimed as the man locked his sword to an Oto shinobi's, reached around their blade, grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground before quickly moving away to avoid another's vengeful lightning attack.

"Akito is with her, we need to handle these guys first!" He protested as Jun scoffed.

"How do you know he didn't cause this to get away, Takao? What if he abandoned her; left her there to die as bait!" Jun rapidly questioned in response, bringing Takao to growl under his breath.

He had handled Jun's rampant distrust of the boy based on his dream that he was Deidara up until this point, but now, given the situation, it was becoming rather infuriating.

"He didn't abandon her, Jun! Why can't you trust him?!" He asked as his blade suddenly parried to the side, opening him up for one of the Oto ninja to dart forward and ash his chest with their blade, causing him to let out a sharp hell before retaliating to the fullest extent and leaving Jun in a silent disgust.

He didn't like the boy, and that was enough for him not to trust him or his actions. Iwagakure was never known for being straightforward or transparent, and he saw no reason to believe this one would be any different.

Sensing his struggle to free her leg as he once again began to lift, Kisa grunted. This didn't seem to be working, and all it was succeeding in doing was tiring him out when he could be helping Jun and Takao.

"Akito, go h-help the others." She said in an attempt to get him to stop struggling as through gnashing teeth the boy immediately rejected her plea.

"No, I'm not leaving you here!" He growled as he again lifted up with all of his strength and channeled his chakra into his legs to prevent them from giving out, all while Kisa watched.

Why was he trying so hard to free her? She could tell he was already becoming worn out, so why continue to waste energy on a seemingly impossible task? Granted she would do the same would it have been Jun or Takao in trouble, but why was he doing it for her? Did he consider her his friend?

Slowly making progress by nearly centimeters, Akito's grunting gradually went from a small rumble to a loud roar as he began to gain the upper hand, and within seconds he had nearly freed her leg from the stone before a sudden sharp burst of senbon peppered his back.

Gasping as he yelped in pain, Kisa immediately formed a wall of ice to prevent him from any further attack and prepared to have the rock dropped back down on her leg, but much to her surprise it remained in place.

"Akito!" She yelled as the boy struggled to hold up the side of the slab that now neared the top of his forehead, causing him to cringe as he used every bit of strength he had left give the stone one last solid push, teetering it backwards away from them.

He then immediately reared back and slammed his fist into the slab, activating his kekkei genkai and causing the pieces to explode away from them, freeing her from its oppressive weight.

Relieved that she was free from rock, Kisa watched as the boy immediately stumbled backwards, the senbon in his back still holding onto his flesh as he rapidly panted deep, heavy breaths.

Opening her mouth to again speak Kisa's eyes immediately shot to their side as the ninja who attacked Akito dashed forward towards him in an effort to seek revenge for his incinerated friends.

"Watch out!" She cried as she lifted her hand to freeze her target, only to watch in horror as the shinobi flickered forward to dodge her attack, piercing through Akito's chest with an outstretched tanto as he did so.

"AKITO!" She yet again screamed as the two remained locked together for a moment, though a second later Akito's body faded to white and began to melt, grabbing ahold of the Oto ninja'd arm as it did so.

"What? What the hell?!" The ninja questioned as from the real Akito suddenly emerged from the ground next to Kisa and immediately fell to a knee.

Seeing the boy alive Kisa gasped, though Akito gave her little time to say anything as he lifted her right arm over his shoulder and grabbed ahold of her waist with his left, all while ignoring the handful of steel needles sticking out of his back.

"W-We have to go." He stated as he lifted her to her feet, causing her to whimper loudly in discomfort despite her nod of acknowledgment, before moving quickly towards the others and detonating his clay clone to finish off the ninja stuck inside of it.

Finishing off two separate ninja simultaneously, Jun and Takao immediately spun and looked to their friends as the suddenly appeared between them.

"We've g-got to find a way out, now!" He stated as both of the others focused on Kisa in concern, bringing her to shake head to indicate she was okay as she desperately tried to heal her injured leg on the go.

Looking next to Akito, specifically the way in which he was holding Kisa, Jun scowled and began to look around the dark room.

"They came from that direction. That's our best bet to find some kind of exit. Let's go." He stated as Akito nodded and followed behind his two vanguards towards the edge of the darkness, making sure to keep close to Jun's light as he did so.

Navigating their way through the darkness as Takao continued to intercept and repel various attacks from the Oto defenders, Jun eventually led the group to where their foes had originated from: a large hallway leading deeper into the fortress.

"This is it, this is our way out!" He exclaimed as they quickly dashed through the large open doors in front of them, leaving Takao behind momentarily as he turned to shut the gate and slow their pursuers down.

Reaching part of the complex that seemed to still have power as well as lighting, the group ducked into a side hallway and then into another room before shutting and lock that door as well with the intent to catch their breath.

Turning in the light switch nearest the door, Jun immediately turned around to face his team as Akito assisted Kisa over to a wooden table, cleared all of its contents to the floor and placed her on top of if so that she could continue to heal her leg before stepping back from her at the sight of Jun's scowl.

"Did you cave the ground in?" He questioned as the boy shook his head, though Jun didn't buy it.

"I said, did you cave the ground in?!" He again asked as he began to make his way towards Akito, causing Kisa to reach out and grab his arm to stop him.

"He didn't do it Jun. He…" She corrected as her eyes looked over to the boy in question, focusing on his pained and winded expression.

There was no way he caused the collapse. She was standing right next to him when it happened and while she knew he was capable of using his chakra without hand signs to some extent, why would he help her then, especially when it resulted in him being injured as well.

No, there was no way. The look in his eyes as they fell and the worry in his voice as he searched for her were genuine; he was afraid.

"He saved me." She added, brining Jun to redirect his attention to her and then her injured leg, disregarding his anger for concern.

"What do you need me to do? How can I help?" He questioned as Kisa pointed towards her leg, which she had been healing now since Akito first helped her stand.

"I'm almost done, I just can't lift and hold it straight to finish. Can you hold it straight out?" She asked, to which Jun nodded without hesitation and slowly picked her leg up to straighten out her fractured bone, causing her to grunt in pain despite being what she needed.

"T-There… hold it r-right there." She grunted through he teeth before continuing to heal her leg as Akito watched on in silence, trying to pull the senbon from his back while simultaneously watching Takao walk towards him from the corner of his eye.

"I wouldn't do that, you'll make it bleed worse." He stated with a small grin as he approached the boy, bringing Akito to grunt at the needle's resistance to leaving his body.

"I'll b-be alright." He replied, looking up at Takao. His flak jacket was soaked with blood around a large laceration on his chest, but he didn't seem affected by it too much.

"What a-about you?" Akito questioned, brining Takao to laugh.

"Are you kidding me? I'm a swordsman yo, this little thing isn't going to bring me down." He jested as Kisa finished sealing the bones in her leg back together and looked towards them.

She could see Takao's bloodied jacket from there and although he appeared injured the expression of pain on his face was nowhere near as heavy as Akito's.

Reaching up to Jun's neck she quickly sealed the wound he had received prior to them falling into the fortress and looked to him.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" She questioned as she left go of his skin and waited for him to shake his head before carefully standing up on her freshly healed leg with a pained wince and making her way towards Akito and Takao.

Seeing Kisa back on her feet Akito smiled a bit as he stood still and waited for her to say something, though as she reached him she remained silent, staring into his eyes.

"Akito." She stated as she bit her lip to fight off the mixed array of emotions flooding over her, including, of all things, the desire to hug him to show him just how grateful she was.

He truly did save her in her time of need. He searched for her in the darkness and after finding her refused to leave her alone, even when directed to do so; words she could still hear inside of her mind, echoing over and over again. If he would have left she would likely still be trapped under that rock, if not dead.

Stepping forward Kisa slowly reached out and took his left hand in hers as their eyes remained locked together, causing the boy to subconsciously blush though it was hardly noticeable in the dim lighting around them.

"Thank you. You..." She whispered softly with a small smile as Akito shook his head to dismiss what he had done, bringing Kisa to formulate a counter before becoming distracted by the senbon in his back.

Remembering how he refused to drop the stone back on her even as he was struck, she immediately stepped behind him and looked at the seven senbon across his body, one of which had nearly pierced into the vertebrae of his spine.

"Kneel down." She instructed as they boy did as she said and knelt down, allowing her to drop to her own knees as she began to slowly extract the needles and heal the punctures in his skin, some of which could have killed him had it not been for his flak jacket.

Disgusted by the sight of what he believed was a far too intimate moment no matter what the circumstances, Jun scoffed and turned around to look at the room they were in. It was long with several bookshelves and tables scattered around, each of which held plenty of books and scientific instruments of various purposes on top of them.

"What is this place even, and why are there so many sound ninja defending it?" He questioned out loud as he walked further into the room to look around, picking up a few books in his hand as he did so.

"_Water Release Studies Part Five_, _Earth Release Part Three_? These are all books on different types of ninjutsu abilities, categorized and illustrated by release nature." He stated out loud as Takao walked towards him and picked up a book as well, curious to see what he was talking about with his own eyes.

"Hand written too. This must be what they are doing here, studying different forms of ninjutsu. But why?" Takao questioned, but as Jun prepared a reply the room suddenly filled with the sound of clanking metal from the air ducts above followed by a quiet, almost sickly voice.

"In pursuit of knowledge, of course." It called, causing both Takao and Jun to drop the books in their hands and draw their weapons while across the room Kisa removed the last senbon from Akito's back in a hurry.

"Who said that? Identify yourself!" Jun demanded as the voice cackled and the clanging inside of the ducts continued, swiftly moving all across the room including above Kisa and Akito as both stood and readied themselves as well.

"So you four are the ones who have been making a mess of my lab. What exactly to we have here? Have our friends from Konoha come to pay us a visit?" The voice again questioned as Kisa tossed a handful of metal senbon into the duct above them, forcing whatever and whoever was inside to navigate away.

"No… this is someone else. It appears to be… Deidara and a few others. How interesting." The man's voice again stated as he dodged yet another volley of ranged weapons, this time thrown by Takao and Jun, forcing whatever was in the vent to move towards a grated opening between the four shinobi.

"Come to give me a crack at that kekkei genkai of yours afterall, hmm?" The voice added in an obvious play on the nasally little grunts his cousin often made when speaking, angering Akito to the point of action at the mention of both Deidara and whatever studying he intended to do on his precious kekkei genkai.

Forming explosive senbon in his hands for maximum penetration, Akito threw both handfuls up into the shaft on both ends to prevent the figure above them from escaping before detonating them both and causing the piece in the center to drop to the floor, filling the room with dust as the group readied to defend themselves.

However, much to their surprise the man inside the vents did not immediately attack and instead stood straight up from the vent after it landed and looked around to both sets of shinobi. He was rather tall with long black hair that covered his extremely pale skin, and while he seemed to demand a rather menacing presence his apparel was closer to that of a civilian, having been little more than a bland reddish-brown t-shirt over completely bandaged arms and a common set of black pants.

Looking to Jun and Takao first before turning to face the others, the man's snake-like yellow eyes immediately widened at the sight of the boy before him who unlike the others was from the Hidden Stone and, more importantly, possessed a rather valuable kinjutsu.

This, paired with what he already knew was the Explosive Release kekkei genkai, brought the man to narrow his focus on the boy as his lips formed a wide grin.

"You're not Deidara."


	7. Chapter 7: Snake's Labyrinth

Remaining still as the strange, snake-like man before them continued to stare at him, Akito grunted. Without even seeing him with his own eyes he was able to detect that he held some sort of connection to his cousin, leading him to believe that not only had this man interacted with Deidara, but that he had rather keen senses as well.

"Well?" The mysterious man questioned after an elongated period of silence, curious to know who the boy actually was as Akito grimaced.

"I'm not Deidara." He grunted as the man grinned a bit wider and tilted his head to the side to allow both eyes to focus on the boy from behind his long hair.

"I am well aware, boy. But I sense his blood inside of you… his brother, perhaps?" The man questioned in return before turning his head towards Jun as the man scoffed and pulled a seal from his vest in anticipation of a fight.

"Again with this? What is with people and trying to write him off as anything other than what he is." Jun complained as the man laughed.

"I have met the real crazed artist known as Deidara, and I can assure you this is not him." He stated with the utmost confidence before turning back to Akito and grinning once again.

"The question still remains: who are you?" He questioned as Akito grunted in annoyance.

"Akito Himaku. Deidara is my cousin." The boy replied as he clenched his fists tighter and analyzed the man over again once more from top to bottom. He was unsure of who exactly this man was, but based on his physical appearance and from what he was taught during his time in Konoha, he had a significant theory.

"And you're Orochimaru, the legendary Sannin… aren't you?" Akito added before the man could speak up, causing him to laugh as he did so, though after a moment he simply nodded and cautiously placed his bandaged right hand on his hip.

"A smart one as well, it seems. It seems that intelligence isn't a trait exclusive to your cousin it seems." Orochimaru stated as he focused on Akito's hands.

"And neither is that kinjutsu apparently."

Gasping under her breath at Akito's statement, Kisa looked to the boy out of the corner of her eye with a hint of uncertainty. If that was true they were in significantly more trouble than she had originally hoped. The three Sannin were a legend not only in Konoha but abroad as well and were rumored to be at the same level of power as a Kage, if not more.

"Orochimaru? Are you sure Akito?" She questioned as the boy dug back through his memories as thoroughly as he could before nodding a few seconds later.

"I remember seeing a picture of the Sannin in the academy, in a book about the Second Shinobi World War. He hasn't aged much, if at all… it's him." He stated, bringing Orochimaru to laugh under his breath.

"A kind sentiment, too kind really." The man chuckled as he looked around at the others, silently wondering what exactly this Iwagakure shinobi was doing tethered to a group from Kiri.

"Well, even if it isn't Deidara who has come knocking at my door I am glad it was someone such as yourself. I think you will do great here in Otogakure, as it's so hard to find good help these days." He added as Akito grimaced and once again grunted in annoyance.

"Rather vain of you to assume I would ever work for you." The boy responded as Orochimaru again focused on him for a second and opened his eyes wide before immediately dashing towards him.

"I never said it was an option!" He laughed as Akito summoned a rock wall with his foot to stop his advance, seeing as this room was not made of metal like the rest, though Orochimaru's neck suddenly elongated like that of a snake and evaded the wall before flying straight towards the boy.

However, before the man's mouth could make contact with the boy, Kisa summoned an ice wall in front of him, causing him to ram his forehead against the ice and retract his neck to avoid being beheaded by Kisa's following kunai swipe.

Retracting his head to his body as the rock wall retracted Orochimaru dove back to avoid their two teammates, coming to a stop on top of a table across the room.

"An Ice Release user? Oh my, this just got very interesting." He immediately grinned with a wince of pain, carefully placing his hands to minimize the discomfort in his deteriorating muscles. Explosive release was certainly a rare kekkei genkai to come across, but Ice Release?

He would have to argue that this may have indeed been the more valuable of his finds, being that as far as he knew the bloodline for Ice Release he become all but extinct, making this the last known example of the once feared release.

"Very interesting indeed." He added as Jun deployed the scroll he had been holding on to, summoning a kusarigama sickle to his hands as Takao drew his wakizashi, both preparing to strike as Akito and Kisa did the same with their kekkei genkai at the ready, bringing Orochimaru to laugh.

"I only intended to harvest one new hand today… but I will gladly settle for two!" He exclaimed as the team of four charged towards him, bringing him to unleash a singless gust of wind from his mouth onto Akito and Kisa, knocking them back as he jumped onto the ceiling and then back down on Jun and Takao, engaging the two in as strong a fight as he could muster.

Ducking to avoid Takao's swing before kicking him back with his right leg, Orochimaru immediately turned towards Jun and used his left arm to parry the sickle in his hands away despite the agonizing pain before diving straight towards Akito, who upon seeing the man approaching, swung his fist around and activated his kekkei genkai to create an explosion.

Much to his displeasure however the Sannin simply slithered around the blast and headbutted the boy as hard as he could, knocking him backwards.

"I'm coming for you boy!" He snarled as he once again attempted to grab ahold of the boy's neck, though he again was repelled as Kisa intervened and knocked him away with a flowing ice wall.

"Get back!" She demanded as Orochimaru slid to a stop and Takao swung his blade into him to bisect him in half just above the navel, though almost immediately a slew of snakes reconnected his two halves and grabbed ahold of Takao's sword.

Spinning his blade violently to free itself from the slithering trap, Takao jumped backwards to avoid one of the snakes as it struck out at him, allowing Jun to step in occupying the man.

"God I hate snakes!" Takao joked as he regrouped and charged forward, bringing Jun to laugh.

"Oh come on now Takao," He began to taunt as he spun the weighted end of his weapon around and spiked it into Orochimaru's head to disorient him before attempting to slash him with the sickle.

"This is nothing like I thought fighting a Sannin would be!" Jun added as Orochimaru slid back against the wall behind him and grimaced.

Irritated by the boy's insolence he then regurgitated into his mouth from deep into his stomach and vomited forward nearly three dozen snakes with his Formation of a Thousand Snakes, all of which charged after Jun and Takao as the bigger of the two men squealed in disgust.

"This body is but a shell of what I once was, but soon I will be complete again. In the meantime however, I assure you that I am more than enough to handle the likes of you!" He exclaimed as he jumped backwards onto the wall to avoid another of Akito's swings before kicking him back, striking Jun in the face with his rubberised and elongated arm to prevent his intervention and unleashed a repeated flurry of kicks into Akito, though as he did so he turned his focus over to Kisa as the girl speared several of his snakes with her ice shards.

Without warning the man then dove towards her bringing Akito to reach up and grab Orochimaru's leg to violently tear him back to the ground, but the man suddenly turned his whole body to an almost rubber state and slithered down the boy's arm until he was able to wrap around his whole body.

Biting his neck to brand the boy and expecting the taste of flesh he found only clay, bringing him to immediately release the boy as the clone faded to white, forcing Akito to raise a stone wall up from the ground to the ceiling to protect them from the detonation.

Slashing his way through the remainder of snakes, Jun looked up to Kisa as the girl huffed and turned back towards Orochimaru, watching the man stand back up onto his feet as Akito dropped the wall and prepared more hand signs.

"You had to say something Jun!" Kisa complained as the boy once more exhaled a great deal of powerful flames from his mouth, forcing Orochimaru to summon his own wall in the form of his trademarked Rashomon gate, which raised out of the ground below just enough to seal him off from the attack.

"It's not my fault he wants the boy so badly!" Jun countered, bringing Kisa to scoff as she prepared hand signs in preparation for Orochimaru's reemergence.

"Well he's after me now too, not just Akito! So shut up, stop blaming him and help!" She replied as Orochimaru dispelled his Rashomon and once again went on the defensive, bringing Jun to grunt in annoyance. Stepping forward between Akito and Kisa, he pulled forth from his pouch one of his medium sized scrolls.

"I am helping!" He exclaimed as he opened the roll in a streamer like effect in front of them and formed several hand signs to unseal the scroll, propelling dozens of kunai forward at once at lightning speed, forcing Orochimaru to evade and giving the other three members of the team a chance to strike.

Charging in first Takao unsheathed the broadsword Senso and spun around rapidly in a whirlwind, causing the Sannin to ricochet between the walls to avoid his swipe and giving Kisa free rein to strike. Clapping her hands together she formed a massive ice pillar from the ceiling and attempted to pin him down, though the attack missed as he jumped to the opposite wall.

"Child's play!" Orochimaru exclaimed with a snicker as Akito approached, but before he could reach the boy the ice that impacted the ground spread around him and rapidly formed a dome all the way to the ceiling, catching the surprised man off guard.

Moving between Akito and the dome Kisa reached out and grabbed the boy's hand before spinning him around and tossing him into one of the ice mirrors, weakening the mirror in front of him long enough for him pass through to the inside, where he immediately engaged their enemy in a series of extreme taijutsu techniques; all while making sure to avoid any of the Sannin's attempts to bite his neck in fear of being poisoned.

Fighting Orochimaru alone long enough for Kisa to enter into her own dome and join him, Akito continued to wail down onto the man's arms as hard as he could, testing what he believed could be a weakness they could exploit to defeat him, or at least drive him off.

Striking out again Akito swiftly drew a kunai from his right pouch and slashed Orochimaru across the arms as he moved to block his left fist, causing the man to cry out in pain and strike back.

"You insignificant pest!" He exclaimed as he reared back his leg and kicked Akito as hard as he could in the stomach sending him flying backwards into the roof of the dome and forcing Kisa to slide to a stop defensively beside him as he fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" She questioned quickly as her eyes remained locked their foe across the dome, who panted heavily in obvious exhaustion and agony.

"Yeah. I think I have it now though, his arms are his weak spot." Akito stated as he stood back up to his feet, causing Kisa to narrow in on the Sannin's now bloody bandage wrapped extremities. She too had watched the man guarding his arms, as well as the lack of any sort of hand signs or significant ninjutsu techniques.

"I noticed that too. Something must be wrong with them." She stated as Orochimaru laughed through his pain, ignoring the massive amount of sweat running down his face as his eyes searched for any way out of the crystal dome she had formed around him.

"So you've figured it out. Do you think that will make it any easier?" He questioned as Kisa formed a handful of senbon in her fingertips and looked to Akito, who nodded in acknowledgement of what she was planning to do, and to that end moved to exploit another of Orochimaru's weaknesses he observed during their fight thanks to Jun; his arrogance.

"It would be hard to believe this is anything but easy." Akito taunted, causing the man to grunt in annoyance.

"You wouldn't dare utter those words if I had use of my arms. I would show you the true meaning of power; power neither you nor any of your forefathers could have ever imagine." He snarled as Akito stood with a blank expression.

"Power? You may be just a shell of what you once were, but the fact remains that you are indeed that shell. Your appearance may not have changed but your body most certainly has, leaving broken and frail." He stated, mocking the man's words to Jun a few minutes ago as he reached into his clay pouch and formed a small orange-sized ball in his hand while Kisa watched on.

Looking into his eyes as he taunted the man Kisa slowly nodded, trusting his judgement. She had scolded Jun for tempting the Sannin out of ignorance, but for Akito to provoke him there had to have been a reason.

Turning back towards Orochimaru, Akito once again narrowed his eyes on the man's as he tossed his clay ball forward onto the ground and watched it sink down below Kisa's ice and leave a thin trail back to his hand.

"The Sannin are regarded as one of the most dangerous targets in Iwagakure's roster of wanted shinobi but I never thought I would be helping bring one down, even if he is nothing more than a dying old man." Akito again taunted, causing Orochimaru to growl in anger as he darted towards the two of them.

"I refuse to be talked down upon by some inferior rat!" He exclaimed as he charged forward, causing Kisa to disappear into her mirrors as Akito remained steadfast, waiting until Orochimaru stepped where he had shifted his explosive landmine before detonating the device, filling the inside of the dome with smoke, but as expected Orochimaru survived, dodging several volleys of senbon from the mirrors around him the process.

"Your flesh is mine!" The man screamed as he opened his mouth wide and aimed for the boy's neck, but as he closed in on the boy to brand him he noticed the mirror behind Akito, which now displayed a large scroll across its surface.

His eyes widening as he attempted to stop, Orochimaru grunted in frustration as the seal released, sending forth dozens of bolas attached together on long chains that immediately snagged the Sannin and threw him back down to the floor.

"What?!" He snarled as Kisa appeared above him in her mirror and rained multiple handfuls of ice senbon down on top of him, first starting with the bolas to pin him to the floor and prevent his escape before moving on to his arms and legs, causing him to yell in agony.

"Y-You bastards! You have no idea who you are dealing with!" He exclaimed as Kisa dropped down from the mirror above him and landed beside Akito as her dome quickly thawed and melted down, revealing both Jun and Takao waiting on the other side.

"Scroll worked, huh?" Jun immediately questioned as they moved in on the restrained man, bringing Kisa to nod.

"It did. Thank you for your assistance." She replied as Orochimaru stared at the two, narrowing his eyes in pain and frustration.

"How? How did you do it?" He demanded to which Kisa smirked, fixing a loose hair that fell down from her headband as she did so.

"Simple. While you were distracted with Akito I slipped out of the dome and requested the scroll from Jun, using both Akito's body and the smoke from his explosion as a barrier to keep you from seeing." She replied causing Orochimaru to grunt, though a smile formed across his lips regardless.

"Using the ice to move back and forth that quickly, how interesting… ngg..." He questioned with a hint of intrigue despite his trembling hands watching as all four members of the oddball team circled in around him.

"Alright that's enough out of you." Jun decreed as he placed a hand on his hip and subconsciously ran a hand through his hair, looking to Akito as he did so.

Even this man seemed to believe this wasn't Deidara. If that were in fact true they had wasted a lot of time and resources on the boy and even risked dying to maintain their capture, all for nothing.

Without Deidara they wouldn't be getting the bounty payout he had hoped for and with their mission seemingly falling apart as well, his stomach turned. They couldn't afford to come back without pay. He had to believe, or at least hope, this was Deidara.

"I'm sure this one will be more than enough to compensate for our trouble, even if Akito-boy here turns out to be telling the truth." He stated as Orochimaru began to laugh again.

"You really think you've caught me? Oh, that's rich." He taunted as his body suddenly dissolved into a pile of snakes, freeing his form the chains and forcing the others to jump back away from them as they slithered away to various parts of the room before reforming away from the group.

"I must admit, I'm impressed. You kept me at bay long enough to keep yourself from becoming part of my little family." Orochimaru praised as he pulled out one of the ice senbon in his arm and with a grunt of pain began marveling its crystalized structure and composition before tossing it to the side.

This further alarmed the group, adding to the uncertainty brought on by the man's seemingly effortless escape from their trap, resulting in all four of the shinobi preparing for yet another assault from the Sannin.

However, much to their surprise Orochimaru simply scoffed and turned around to face the dark, battle-torn segment of the room behind him.

"Get out, but rest assured that this is only temporary. You can run, you can hide, but whether it is you, your clansmen or your children, I will have that kekkei genkai of yours some day. Both of them." He added with a weak, raspy laugh as his yellow eyes narrowed on the two over his shoulder, and within a second or two he disappeared back into the air vents from which he came, coughing and wheezing violently as he did so.

Waiting until the rattling in the vents ceased, Jun walked over to the corner where he disappeared and activated his chakra light, confirming that he had left before lowering the weapon in his hands to his sides in defeat.

"Well that is just… unfortunate." He sighed as he looked up at the vents again while across the room Kisa looked to Akito, with whom she had once again formed an effective partnership.

"Something doesn't seem right. Someone of that power… why is he just leaving? If he was able to freely break out of our restraints, even after being both chained and pinned through his arms and legs, he is capable of doing much more." Kisa said with worry as Akito shook his head.

"From what I've read he is one of Konoha's most wanted missing ninja, so it has to be his arms. He didn't really use any ninjutsu techniques and even avoided using them for hand-to-hand, although I'm not sure why." The boy replied as Takao looked to the two of them and then back at where Jun was standing.

"It seems we got off easy then, but we shouldn't try to push our luck any further." He added, to which both Kisa and Akito agreed.

"Takao's right, I think we need to cut our losses and get out of here. Bandits were one thing, but clearing out this Otogakure facility so that Saburo and his men could gain access to is something I want nothing to do with." Kisa suggested, turning to face Jun as he walked back towards them, though much to her surprise instead of arguing he slowly nodded.

"As much as it pains me to agree, I think that might be our best move." He replied with lingering discourage, bringing Kisa to frown.

She knew he was upset that their mission had gone horribly wrong and that his hopes of securing a buffer between poverty and prosperity for them were quickly fading away, so despite her continued objection to Akito's identity in his eyes she instead slowly formed a small reassuring smile.

"I know you had hoped for this to be a big pay day for us Jun, but we will find another assignment when we get back to Kiri. We will survive, just like we always have." She added as Jun nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." Their leader replied as his eyes again landed on their fourth team member who stood silently watching him.

Without a word Jun slowly walked up to the boy and placed both hands on his hips, trying to convince his tongue not to come off as abrasive as he prepared his next words.

"Deidara or not, I have to thank you for helping Kisa back there. I'd like to believe Takao and I would have it in time, but I'm not entirely certain that would have been the case. These Sound ninja are tougher than I first believed." He stated as Akito's eyes widened in surprise, bringing him to look at Kisa for a second before looking to the floor at their feet as well.

"I wasn't going to let her die." Akito replied as the girl to his right stared at him, once more playing over his actions and words in her mind as Jun nodded in acknowledgment.

"I appreciate that." Jun responded before taking a deep breath and regaining his tough composure.

"That being said I still don't trust you, and we are certainly not friends. I would make sure to stay on your best behavior." He then dictated as he turned around and looked to the smoldering, damaged room around them, as well as the door to his side as he activated his sensory technique to check for signs of life.

"Let's head this way. I don't see anyone lingering in the immediately area, and this time I'm certain I would be able to spot them if they were here." The man added as he disabled his abilities and walked towards the door, grabbed the handle as well as a kunai from his pouch and prepared to move.

"Ready?" He questioned, bringing the others to look at one another before quickly falling in line behind Jun and moving out at his command. They were tired, but given the situation they found themselves in they had little choice but to press on.

Navigating carefully through the dark, mineshaft-like hallways of the Otogakure facility the group stayed close together in an effort to prevent any member of the group from being separated as Jun continued to lead, followed shortly behind by Takao, Kisa and Akito. The underground bunker was a maze of corridors, hallways, empty cells and rooms of all sizes and shapes, and on several occasions it seemed as if they were almost going in circles.

Even stranger was that since their fight with Orochimaru they had yet to run into another Sound ninja, making it seem as if the Sannin's retreat had also signalled all of his forces protecting to evacuate as well.

Judging by the efficiency of this move it would have seemed that evacuation was a real, rehearsed possibility for the group as on top of the lack of personnel it also seemed as if all documents and books, several of which they had seen in the room they originally fought Orochimaru in, had disappeared as well, leaving nothing but empty shelves and tables.

In the silence Akito's mind began to wander, both with thoughts about how they would escape as well as everything that had happened. The more the mission went on the more it seemed that Saburo had sent them there on purpose, though for what he didn't know.

Did he really expect them to clear out the whole base by themselves, and if he did, did he really expect them to be okay with that? They were essentially committing an act of war against another village, regardless of said village's legitimacy. Why would he lie to them about who they would be encountering there, and based on the face that they had yet to see any treasure, about their goal doing so?

His mind also drifted to Orochimaru and what exactly it was that he wanted from them. He seemed almost obsessive in his fixation with their kekkei genkai, despite the fact that one could not simply learn the techniques used in a kekkei genkai because of their abilities revolving around a certain bloodline. What was his plan, to force them to use their kekkei genkai in Otogakure's name?

On top of all that Akito's eyes continued to shift to Kisa; her cries of his name for help echoing over and over again in his head without reason. It wasn't like him to be fixated on something like this, but yet every time he heard the sound he could feel a shiver run up his spine.

"This place is a literal ghost town." Takao stated as the group continued down a long, dim hallway, snapping Akito from his thoughts as Kisa looked around and nodded. They were on what appeared to be a long upward incline, raising hope that they would break through to the surface at any second.

"I know, it's strange. Whatever they were doing here, they must not have wanted anybody else to know about it." Kisa replied as Takao looked to her before turning to Akito over her shoulder, who had remained quiet since their fight with the Sannin.

"You okay, Akito? You haven't said a word since we left the room." She questioned as Jun rolled his eyes, though Akito shook his head. He was sure many of the questions on his mind were shared unanimously by the group save for his memory of Kisa's scream, though he wouldn't dare bring that up.

"Oh, no. I'm alright, I just keep thinking about what Orochimaru said… about our kekkei genkai. What did he want from us?" He replied, looking ahead of the group as they continued to climb upward, though it was clear to Kisa that there was something else other than that bothering him.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think we have to worry about him. He's gone, and once we get out of here I doubt he will ever be able to find us again." She stated while dropping back to walk beside him, causing him to look at her with a small nod.

"I guess." He replied as their eyes met, only to focus forward towards the end of the hallway as a light became apparent in the distance.

"There it is sweet, sweet daylight!" Jun exclaimed as the bright light appeared, bringing him to speed up his movement and forcing the others to do the same as well to stay on his tail.

"Be careful Jun, this could still be a trap." Takao warned as the group rapidly approached the light, though before they could come to face to face with what they now could see was indeed the forest surrounding the base they came to another wide open grand hall, bringing them to a dead stop.

This hall too featured a metal floor, but unlike the one they found themselves in when the ground collapsed this had large ornate lights placed around the exterior walls and pillars running along the main walkway out, though there seemed to be little more than empty space filled with shadows that the electric lanterns on the walls failed to illuminate.

"I can see the outside. We are almost there." Jun replied after a moment as he stepped forward and cautiously began to make his way across the grand hall in silence before stopping in his tracks and activating his sensory abilities to scout ahead, not wanting to be caught off guard.

However, almost immediately the room around him came alive with five chakra signals hiding amongst the shadows of the pillars in the room, causing him to draw a knife from his pouch and step back towards the group.

"We've got company." He stated as the others reacted accordingly and prepared to attack, watching as from one of the pillars furthest away from them a man stepped out, walking until he was standing in front of the group as the other concealed men did the same and formed a five-person strong wall across the walkway.

Almost instantly it became clear to the group that these men were no mere shinobi, if shinobi at all. Their skin was brown, their hair different shades of grey and across their body was various, extensive mutations, some taking the shape of spikes and scythe-like blades while others were more rounded and blunt. Each also wore a matching t-shirt, a pair of sweatpants and lacked shoes, displaying an almost prisoner-like appearance.

"Lord Orochimaru has assigned us a special task… to collect one of the two kekkei genkai users in your group for further… observation." The man who originally stepped out declared; his dark, almost black hair and lack of serious bodily mutation standing out as different amongst the rest.

Hearing the words the man spoke, Jun swallowed nervously. He could see through his sensor abilities that these men possessed an impressive amount of chakra, and given with the fact that they had no weapons save for whatever they called the blades and spikes growing from their own body, this made him worry.

One of the accusations against Otogakure was that they were performing illegal and unethical experiments on anyone and everyone their leaders could get ahold of, creating abominations incapable of sustaining life. These had not yet been confirmed internationally, but if were to result to betting, he would put all of his chips on these creatures being the result of such augmentation.

"Your lord is a fool; a man who can barely stand on his own, let alone command forces to do his bidding. Disperse at once." Jun commanded in an attempt to intimidate the lot while Takao stepped beside him and drew the larger of his two blades, backing up his longtime friend and leader.

"Oh I don't know Jun, I don't think I've torn enough Oto shinobi in half today. This looks like it could be fun." He added to the ploy with a grin, though the designated leader of the guards in front of him remained impassive.

"Your threats mean nothing to us Mist ninja, for the things we have endured here under Lord Orochimaru's reign have broken us of fear. Especially from the likes of you." The creature replied, bringing Kisa to grunt in annoyance.

"This is never ending. We need to get out of here and away from this place." She stated as one of the mutants laughed.

"We've already told you how to escape. One of you must decide to who stays and who walks free." The man replied as Akito narrowed his eyes on the group. They only outnumbered them by a single man, making for much better odds than facing the onslaught of shinobi they fought earlier.

However, Orochimaru was no fool. If he trusted this task to these five men, then these five men must be rather dangerous, seeing as his army was unable to so much as kill one of their group, let alone capture them.

"That's not going to happen." Akito added to the argument as he stepped forward to Jun's left and looked to Kisa as she did the same, reassuring her that nobody would be taking either of them for their kekkei genkai.

"That's right. You may think you've been sent to take some little baby genin's kekkei genkai, but I assure you that is not the case!" Jun again taunted as the leader of the mutants scowled in disgust and took a step forward towards the group, causing Kisa to burst forward at lightning speed towards him, drawing six senbon between her fingers as she did so.

Staring him dead in the eyes as she approached, the girl stabbed the man in the ribs on both sides of his body with her weapons, piercing into his chest with ease, though the man did not flinch in pain.

Instead he reared his arm back and, in one single action, mutated it into a blade that he then swung towards her, striking her in the stomach and sending her flying backwards towards the group with a loud scream.

"Kisa!" Both Akito and Jun yelled at the same time as they jumped up to catch her though Jun made it there first, catching her in his arms and lower her down to a sitting position on the ground behind Takao as blood ran from the laceration across her stomach.

"G-Guah… he's f-fast…" She groaned through the pain as she began to heal herself, watching from the corner of her eye as Akito landed beside her, looked once at her wound and immediately turned to storm towards the enemies himself.

Passing Takao, Akito closed in on the man who had just injured his friend and slammed his left fist into the man's blade arm, knocking him back with an underpowered blast of energy before using this opening to smash into the man's chest with an anger-fueled cry.

Using his Landmine Fist Akito pushed as much chakra as he could safely into his fist, enveloping the man in a large explosion that caused the other four foes to slide backwards away from the boy.

Much to his dismay however the man emerged from the smoke rather unscathed thanks to a shield hastily generated with his opposite arm, forcing the irritated boy to avoid the man's blade arm by jumping in the air, allowing Takao to lock his sword to the man's weapon to hold him at bay.

"The others!" He exclaimed, directing Akito to attack the other four mutants as they converged on them, bringing the boy to do as Takao asked.

Planting his feet to the ceiling above, Akito shoveled two large wads of clay into his hands and rapidly formed hand signs, creating two clones of himself which disappeared into the rock ceiling as he held the palms of his hands out at the four other men.

Almost instantly the mouths on his palms expelled four large cylinders of clay forward, one for each of the attackers, that upon nearing the men sprayed out into a shroud that blanketed over top of the mutants and spread across their body, constricting their movement.

"Watch, Takao!" Akito warned as he then proceeded to detonate the shrouds, causing the men to cry out in pain at the intense explosion, though almost immediately it became apparent that these men too were rather unscathed by the detonations despite several open wounds that seeped blood from their brown skin.

"You will have to do better than that!" One of the men exclaimed as he countered Akito, turning his arm into an elongated, elastic snare that he then propelled towards the boy, forcing him to jump back down to the ground to dodge before engaging two of the men directly in hand to hand combat as the two others stumbled towards Kisa and Jun.

Watching Takao and Akito struggle to hold back the mutants, Jun knelt on one knee, supporting Kisa's back as she continued to heal herself. The situation was quickly going from bad to worse, and as he looked up and spotted the two remaining enemies walking toward him it became clear that he would have to act.

"We've got two freaks moving towards us. Are you alright on your own for now?" Jun questioned as Kisa moved one of her hands to hold herself up and silently cursed her stupidity under her breath.

She was hoping to end the leader's life quickly in order to further threaten the men into allowing them to leave, but she never could have guessed he would be able to shrug off such a deadly move.

"Y-Yeah, g-go help the o-others." She grunted against the taste of blood in her mouth as Jun stood and scoffed with a grin.

"The others are fine for now. It's you I'm worried about protecting." He replied as drew forth three more of his trademarked scrolls from his vest and placed one in his mouth before rolling both of the others towards his foes.

"Let's see how they like my Kamisori." He mocked with the scroll between his teeth as he activated both of the seals on the ground, summoning two seperate lengths of wire thin razors chained together.

Wasting little time he then laced the strands between his fingers using his chakra to keep himself from being injured and dashed forward, quickly ensnaring the first of the mutants in the trap and moving onto the next, though the foe spotted the weapon coming and lifted the blunt mutation on his right arm.

"No!" He exclaimed as he smashed the wire to the ground in an attempt to break it, however this was what Jun wanted, and as quickly as he could he moved so that the wire caught in the attack was the same holding his comrade.

Crushing the wire down to the metal floor, the mutant unintentionally dragged his allie backwards to the ground, tearing into his skin with the extremely sharp wire and causing the monster to howl in pain.

Still trying to use her healing techniques to stitch her cells back together with chakra as she watched Jun's attack, Kisa looked up in surprise as from the ceiling above Akito's clones suddenly appeared and fell down beside her.

"What are y-you doing?" She questioned as the clones immediately took on defensive stances and formed kunai with clay pulled from their own body, bringing one of them to look to her.

"Protecting you, just like boss man asked." He stated as the girl scowled. This may have been the second time she had been severely injured that day, but that didn't mean everyone had to stop and take care of her.

She was perfectly capable of defending herself and within moments she would be back on her feet, helping fight. She didn't need help.

"I'll be f-fine. I don't need help." She contested as the other clone shook his head.

"No can do, Kisa. He's worried and doesn't want anything to happen to you." The clone stated, instantly causing Kisa to look up at him in a flustered manner as the other clone gasped.

"You weren't supposed to say anything! What's wrong with you!?" It asked with a shocked tone as the second clone scoffed.

"We'll be gone in a few minutes anyway, that's his problem." He replied, making both of them laugh as Kisa tilted her head in confusion. She had heard of shadow clones speaking before, but having independent thoughts that descended from the original? That wasn't normal.

Curious about the origin of the clones' conversation, Kisa's eyes turned to Akito as he violently kicked one of the monster men in the head, causing him to stagger back before slamming his fist into him again and unleashing his kekkei genkai with enough force to send him flying across the room.

Switching his attention to the second mutant, Akito parried away his weaponized arms with his kunai before lashing out in return, slashing him across his flesh multiple times as he continued to try and break through whatever was causing these beasts to mutate.

These creatures seemed to have very tough skin that saved them from most of his attacks including his Explosive Release, so if he was going to take one down he would need to think outside of the box.

Striking out once more, Akito dug the blade deep into his foe's skin before reversing the blade and puncturing deep into the monsters chest as he jumped up onto it's shoulders.

"Get off!" He exclaimed as Akito punched the man twice, pulled the kunai from his chest and jabbed it into the monster's neck as far as he could get it before placing his palm to the pommel.

"Try this!" He snarled as he activated his exploding palm and sent the kunai deeper into the man's flesh, causing the blade to pierce through is body to the ground below with a blood curdling scream.

This however did not kill the man who reached and grabbed the boy before he replaced himself with a clone and detonated it to escape, sliding back to Takao's side for a second as he continued to fight off the black haired guard.

By now Takao had experienced the same difficulty trying to inflict lasting injury through his foe's thick hide, bringing him to escalate his techniques to the next level.

Funneling his chakra into his broadsword until the blade let off a visible chakra aurora he continued to lash out against his foe, forcing his enemy to channel his own chakra to his weapon arms to prevent Takao from severing them.

"This is all pointless, few have ever succeeded in preventing Lord Orochimaru from getting what he wants!" The man exclaimed as he and Takao locked blades together for brief second before again exchanging swipes back and forth.

"Well then I guess we will have to be some of those few!" Takao replied as he formed a Water Bullet in his mouth and struck his foe, causing him to stagger and providing him with a key opening to strike.

As he moved to do so however the man quickly recovered and parried Takao's weapon away before punching him in the chest with spikes he developed across his fist, forcing Takao to scream in pain.

Hearing his comrade's injury occur, Akito spun his head to look towards Takao as he moved away from his opponent, revealing the bloody two inch long spikes on the man's knuckles.

Grinding through his teeth he moved to assist, only to be snagged by the elastic claw arm of the man he had just injured.

"Your not going anywhere!" He snarled as he flung Akito over his shoulder into the ground, forcing the boy to replace himself with a clone to prevent taking the heavy blow full force before appearing before the monster as he slid to a stop.

"You will not interfere with Daiju's fight." The man added as Akito growled and immediately charged towards him again in a desperate attempt to break through to Takao as he continued fight against his foe.

Witnessing the strike against Takao from across the room as well Kisa grunted in frustration. She had spent too much time focusing on herself, leaving the others to fight against these freaks on their own.

Slowly she pulled her hand away from her stomach as she ran her fingers across the wound, ensuring it had healed enough to stop any major bleeding before standing to her feet and dashing forward towards Takao as the Akito clones followed.

Forming a blade of razor sharp ice in her hand Kisa slid between Takao's feet towards Daiju as he deflected another of Takao's attacks. Spotting the girl he immediately attempted to run her through with his arm, though she evaded and slashed at the back of his knee with her blade; the weapon finding a weak spot in his armored carapace, causing him to roar at the sudden spray of his own blood.

"You bitch!" He snarled as he attempted to swing around and grab her, only to be knocked back as Akito's clones tag team punched him at the same time.

"Get back!" They exclaimed in unison before striking the man again, enraging him even further as two spikes formed out of his torso and pierced both clones with the hope of causing them to dispel, although much to the man's dismay they instead grabbed onto him and began to form into a cohesive shell of clay around his body.

Having seen what was to come before, Kisa encased the man inside of a small ice dome that she made sure to significantly increase in thickness to withstand the explosion, which occurred a few seconds later as Kisa slid back to Takao's side.

"Are you alright?!" She questioned while turning to look at her friend, who panted heavily as he held his free hand to the wound in his chest.

"Y-Yeah I think. Fucking… what are these things?" He questioned as she placed her hand on top of his wound and began to heal him, watching anxiously from the corner of her eye as the man inside of her ice dome stood from the kneeling position he collapsed to and began to smash his fists against the ice, causing it to crack.

"I d-don't know, but they can't be human. They can't be." She replied as she redirected her attention to Jun, who despite his earlier victory in temporarily disabling his first opponent was now struggling to bring down the second, before then moving onto Akito who once again battled against two of them alone.

"We've got to run." Kisa added as she looked back to the open door only a little over a hundred and fifty yards away and swallowed nervously. They would need to move at once and as fast as they could if they were all going to escape.

Looking back to Jun, Kisa watched as he parried the unbound mutant and returned his attention back to the man who still struggled to break free of his Kamisori, preparing to unleash what she knew was one of his most powerful yet situational techniques.

Summoning a dragon with water expelled from his mouth to knock back his opponent, Jun jumped in the air above his restrained foe and formed multiple hand signs while simultaneously shooting the scroll from between his teeth down to the ground below him, which upon impacting exploded into a large puff of smoke to reveal paper seals sprawled out in an octagram across the ground.

Jun then instantly used the wire length that remained in his hand to snag the tangled mutant and drag him into the center of the eight pointed star before rapidly forming hand signs that ended with both of his hands laced together before him in a crushing action.

"It takes alot for me to pull this baby out! I call it the Eight Point Lotus, though you'll be the first one to experience the Eight Point Kamisori!" He exclaimed as he activated his technique, causing the eight edges of the star to lift up and quickly close in on one another before constricting in on his foe, growing tighter and tighter as the mutant screamed.

"Daiju! Help!" He cried to no avail as the scroll continued to close in on him until the Kamisori he was ensnared in cut through his flesh and broke his bones, quickly reducing in size to something no bigger than an apple before disappearing into a small poof of smoke, taking the mutilated enemy with it.

Seeing Jun's victory as Daiju managed to break one of his fists out of the ice dome restraining him, Kisa immediately spoke up.

"Jun, Akito! Run now!" She cried out as she took her hand from Takao's wound and pressed both to the ground, causing the four remaining enemies including Daiju to freeze to the floor so that she and the others made a run for the exit, making it all the way to ramp leading outside before the ground suddenly began to shake and from the metal floor emerged a Rashomon gate.

Similar to the one used by Orochimaru a short while earlier save for the various cracks and malformations across its surface, the large barrier violently slammed into the roof above to seal off their escape, causing the group to slide to a stop at it's base.

"Damnit, no!" Kisa cursed as they spun around to look at their attackers, all of which had begun to break free of their ice restraints and walk towards them including Daiju, who retracted his weapons back to his normal form.

"We've already told you. There is only one way that the majority of you will survive, and that is for one of your two kekkei genkai users to volunteer to stay behind." He again said as Akito grunted under his breath, staring the man down before looking to his teammates.

Despite her best efforts both Kisa and Takao were still bleeding from their wounds, and as he looked over to Jun it was clear he was injured as well; his weapons having dug into the flesh of his fingers and hands regardless of his attempts to keep them from doing so by flowing chakra through them.

It was also clear that the four of them were rapidly draining what strength that had left from their bodies, as not one of them was able to stand still more than a few seconds without panting or their fingers trembling. Between their battle outside, the fall, their fight against Orochimaru they were exhausted, and while he was unsure about the others Akito himself could feel his chakra reserves running low.

This was in direct comparison to their opponents who, despite a few lacerations, contusions and the piercing attempt Akito had attempted, seemed to remain almost fully charged with chakra and ready to continue. It had taken quite a bit to bring them to where they were now, and while they had lost a man to level the playing field, it was clear that the group from the Mist would break before they did.

"And we've already told you that it's not going to happen!" Takao shouted back to the man as Jun agreed though Akito remained silent. It seemed more and more evident that these men were right. The only way out would be for Kisa or himself to surrender themselves to Orochimaru's will. Only then could the others go free.

With Kisa fresh in his mind the boy subconsciously looked over to the girl who, despite her efforts not to, appeared almost scared. He had known her for over two weeks now and he not yet seen a single trace of fear, but that changed the second they fell into this hole. He couldn't ask her to stay, nor would he ever do so. There was only one way.

Stepping forward in front of Jun, Akito narrowed his eyes on Daiju as he came to a stop and stared at him with an emotionless glare while behind him the surviving three members of his team formed up on him, each preparing their transmuted weapons to strike, though upon spotting the boy Daiju waved for his allies to hold.

"What is it you want to say?" He questioned as Akito looked at the monsters beside him and then back to his group once more.

"I will stay. Let the others go." The boy said with a hint of hesitation as Kisa immediately gasped.

"No you won't, you are not staying here." She demanded angrily as she stepped towards Akito, bringing Jun to reach out and grab her arm to prevent her from doing so as Akito looked to her over his shoulder.

"It's the only way." He replied as Kisa huffed, clearly infuriated by his attempt to sacrifice himself.

"You can't do this. The whole plan was to complete this mission, find out who you really were and then let you go free." She contested as she looked back at Jun and pointed towards Akito.

"You're going to let him do this?!" Kisa questioned, bringing Jun to look to Akito and then to Takao, who shook his head in disagreement as well.

As much as he hated to now lose out on the possibility of Deidara's bounty as well as their mission reward, it seemed that it had come down to leaving without the boy or never leaving at all, bringing him to sigh and shake his head.

"What other option do we have, Kisa? I… I don't know if we can really win this fight. These… freaks. They are too much." He stated as two of their foes cackled under their breath, once again causing Kisa to shake her head.

"No h-he can't, it's not fair! You are the one who believed he was Deidara and forced him to come here, Jun! You can't just sacrifice him to make our escape, we are responsible for prisoners under our control!" She began as she looked back towards Akito who formed a small, half-hearted smile.

"This is my decision." Akito replied as Kisa's breath trembled behind her gnashing teeth. Why was he doing this, was he really that stupid? Did he really expect her to believe that, after everything they had done to him, he was just willing to sacrifice his freedom and possibly his life for them?

Growing tired of the banter between the two Daiju stepped closer to Akito and crossed his arms.

"What's it going to be Akito? Are you staying, or will it be the girl?" He questioned as Akito's head slowly turned back towards him, focusing on his dark eyes and skin before slowly nodding and stepping forward to join the four Sound guards.

As he did so Kisa broke free of Jun's hold and dashed forward to grab Akito's collar in an attempt to stop the boy, but before she could reach him a clone appeared from the ground and stood in front of her, causing her to bump into the clone's chest with her own before stepping back in fear of it exploding, though it instead frowned and looked nervously to the floor.

"It's alright, I will catch up. And if I don't… take this as an apology for what happened to your father. Not from a Stone shinobi to a Mist, but from me to you." The clone stated as he looked up into Kisa's eyes, making her breath stagger again. Did he really an to fight them on his own and win? Was he insane?!

Unlike the clones she had seen before this one was directly projecting Akito's consciousness, making it clear that she was speaking to him and no-one else, further twisting the knot in her stomach.

Looking past the clone she watched as Akito looked over his shoulder at her once more before starting to walk towards the guards, bringing Jun to step forward as behind them the Rashomon gate opened to expose the daylight once again Looking to Akito's clone with a subtle nod to show his appreciation, to which the clone nodded, Jun turned his attention to Kisa.

"C'mon Kisa. We better go while he is giving us the chance." He stated as he gently grabbed her wrist, breaking the girl's connection to the clone's eyes as she turned to look at Jun and, with as heavy a heart as she had felt in years, slowly began to follow him.

It wasn't right. Despite their village's differences Akito had not done anything wrong. Infact, he had done nothing but help them since they first met in spite of his capture and the conditions he had been subjected to. How could they ever live with themselves knowing that they sent an innocent man to his death?

Passing by Takao as the man looked to Akito's clone with his own hint of sadness, Jun reached out and patted the man's shoulder to signify that it was time to leave, bringing Kisa to look behind them as they exited the facility, watching Akito's disheartened clone until Rashomon gates closed him inside to face his fate.

Hearing the gates close behind him as he continued to walk towards the mutated guards, Akito took a deep breath and dispelled the clone who spoke to Kisa, soaking in the heartbroken look she portrayed as Daiju grinned a bit, breaking his emotionless demeanor.

"If that would have been your decision earlier it would have saved everyone quite a bit of trouble." He stated as he turned to begin walking towards the hallway that would lead them deeper into the facility.

However, after only a few steps Akito suddenly stopped and stared at the ground, hiding most of his face with his hair as the leader of the group to turn around and look at him as his fists tightened and a small smirk formed. This was what needed to be done. It had to be this way.

Within a few moments the group was past the ramp leading into the fresh air and mid-afternoon sunlight and on the road leading them back to the Land of Fire, bringing Jun to finally exhale a long breath of relief.

"That was fuckin' close." He stated as looked down at his lacerated and bleeding hands and huffed. Usually flowing chakra through the Kamisori was enough to prevent it from cutting him up, but fighting against whatever those creatures were down there forced him to push himself past the edge of that safety net, resulting in what he hoped would not be scars across his hands and wrists.

"Kisa?" He questioned as he turned towards her to ask for her medical opinion on the matter, only to once again find her staring back at the gates nearly three hundred yards away with a hand held to her heart.

"It's… it's just not right. Akito did nothing wrong, he..." She began to repeat as Jun stepped forward towards her and shook his head.

"He volunteered to stay. None of us made him do it." He stated as Takao subconsciously nodded in agreement, bringing Kisa to frown further.

"If he hadn't been here who knows if we would still be alive. He saved me after the collapse, helped fight off the Sannin… and we left him go. We should have stopped him." She added as Jun's expression turned into once of slight annoyance.

"We let him go instead of you, Kisa. If he wasn't with us we would still be fighting, because I certainly wasn't going to let them take you. I would trade his, or any other Stone ninja's life a million times over before giving up yours." He stated as he stepped closer to her, causing her eyes to widen as part of her became warmed by his sentiment before becoming overwhelmed with an even deeper guilt.

"My life may have meant more to you than his… but that doesn't mean his didn't mean something." She replied as Jun prepared to speak again before being sidetracked as Takao spoke up.

"We've got company guys. It's the client." He stated, watching down the road as three figured approached them, each wearing cloaks. From a distance it was hard to make out the others, but based on the unique color of the man in the middle's cloak he was definitely Saburo.

Turning around to see what Takao was speaking of, Jun's eyes immediately focused on the trio and formed a small scowl. From what he could tell his man lied about the bandits and their stolen treasure in order to trick them into clearing out the Oto fortress, leading him to believe that there would be little reward for this trickery; a fact that pissed him off to the highest extent.

"We will talk more about this later. Let's go have a talk with our client." He ordered as he and Takao began to walk towards Saburo's gang, leaving Kisa to stare back at the closed gate for a moment before following the others.

Approaching the group the three remained silent, cautiously taking not to their client's friends. The man to his left was a giant amongst even Takao, being nearly seven feet tall, heavyset and carrying a large, studded kanabo over his shoulder; his dark grey hair tied behind his head in a traditional samurai knot while across his face was a scraggly beard.

The girl to his right however was quite the opposite. She appeared young, maybe in her mid twenties, and stood a bit under average height for a woman of that age. She too shared the same yellow eyes and hair color as her two counterparts but her style was more modern, dropping just past her jawline while two clips kept the majority of her bangs from resting in front of her face.

Like her hair her clothing was of a more contemporary design as well, consisting of an off-teal shaded blouse paired with brown trousers, while both men with her wore various colored clothing underneath armor resembling what had been worn during the era of First Shinobi World War, though it appeared to be formed out of modernized steel plates as opposed to that of old.

Coming within speaking distance of the group Jun held up his hand to signal their client, who upon seeing the action formed a small smirk across his lips.

"Well it seems you were able to get the job done after all. I must admit that I had my doubts, but you sure proved me wrong." Saburo stated as the man to his left chuckled under his breath while still tightly holding on to the kanabo slung over his shoulder.

"In record time, too. A whole day early. Pay up Saburo, seems you've lost your bet." The man added as Saburo looked to the man with a small chuckle, causing chills to shoot up Kisa's spine. Once again she was feeling the uneasy wave of tension this man brought on, furthering her discontent for the situation at hand.

"Calm down now Togusa, you will have your payment soon enough." He replied as his attention returned back to Jun as he grunted a bit in annoyance at the men's comments. It almost seemed as if their survival was some sort of game to them, and he did not like that one bit.

"We did, just like I said we would." He lied, refraining from mentioning their retreat as he took another step forward and placed his right hand on his hip while the other slicked his hair, trying to formulate the appropriate amount of dissatisfaction in his words.

"However it seems that you lied to us." Jun added as Saburo's grin slowly began to disappear at the beginning of the man's insolent sentence.

"Lied? How so?" He questioned in a stern tone reminiscent of how he spoke to them in Getaru City.

"There was never any bandits, were there? No stolen property or ransacked towns. This was all a lie, a trick, to get us to clear out one of Otogakure's strongholds." Jun continued to add to his question as Saburo's displeased scowl slowly turned back into a grin.

"So you took notice, did you?" He jested in reply as Togusa laughed again and turned to their third comrade, who looked away without any hint of enjoyment in the situation whatsoever.

"You're right I did lie, but would you have accepted the mission otherwise? I don't think so." Saburo added as Kisa's face immediately turned to an unhappy glare.

"No, we wouldn't have! What you made us do was both unbelievable and illegal, and when Mizukage finds out we are going to be in deep trouble, all thanks to you!" She yelled in a sharp, uncontrollable outburst as all eyes focused on her, including Saburo who again smirked.

"Oh, she knows." He replied as all three of the Mist ninja gasped or grunted in shock, once again causing the behemoth Togusa to laugh.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself!" Takao snapped angrily as Saburo's eyes locked to him amidst Togusa's laughter for a second before they continued to walk towards the group.

"Word has already… magically reached Kiri about three of their shinobi who had violated the Mizukage's orders and attacked an Otogakure installation in their own territory. By now I'm sure other nations are aware as well." The client added as he stepped beside Jun and looked the man in the eyes, feeding off of his anger and fear as he did so.

He then suddenly pulled from a pouch on his back a sack full of coins and forcibly pushed it into his chest.

"Here's your payment. Not what we agreed upon… but then again, nothing seems to have been what we agreed upon." He stated with another smirk as the group bypassed one another completely, allowing Saburo and his men to approach the Sound base uncontested.

Waiting until their client had stepped a bit away, Jun opened the bag to show what had accumulated to little more than one hundred thousand ryo if that, causing him to grunt in annoyance before looking up at Kisa and Takao, both of whom stared at their client with differing degrees of anger.

"That… that bastard. I… I can't believe he tricked us!" Takao snarled under his breath as Kisa again grabbed at her chest. This was unbelievable. They risked their life taking on this mission with the hopes of bettering their lives as a team, only to be betrayed and to find out that what they had done was commit a massive crime, not only against their village but against another. This could start a war between Kirigakure and Otogakure; a war that could escalate to the point of bringing other nations sympathetic to Otogakure's cause into the fray, escalating it to a fourth Shinobi World War.

How could they have been so naive? They should have never, ever taken on the mission based on what little information they had about both their client and the task at hand, and she should have listened to Akito. He had tried to warn her of this.

For a brief second she had forgotten about the boy they left behind, but now at the memory of his sacrifice she became even angrier.

"This can't be happening. What… what should we do?" She asked aloud as Takao huffed and placed his hand on his blades, despite his slowly oozing chest wounds.

"I say we bring them down. Show he Mizukage who it was that set us up and let her interrogate them herself." Takao suggested, only to have Jun shake his head.

"No, we've got to get back to Kiri to explain ourselves right now. If we hurry, maybe we can-" He began to counter, only to freeze as from the underground base emerged a massive fireball that consumed everything above the fortress in flame, sending pieces of stone and debris flying into the sky.

"What the fuck?!" Jun questioned out loud as his partners stared in shock, bringing Kisa to form a half dome of ice over top of them to protect them from falling debris as she stared back at the massive blast.

"Akito…" She whispered in fear under her breath as the rock and gravel stopped falling from the sky, allowing her to drop her shield. Could that have been Akito? Did he destroy the whole base to prevent himself from being taken prisoner, and if so, did he die along with it?

Subconsciously grabbing her chest once again, Kisa turned her attention to the three figures in front of her, now reduced to the two men who stood still and watched the devastation in front of them while the female in the group dove to seek cover.

"Jun, I think we need to go. Right n-" She began to plead as she reached out for his hand and froze as Saburo turned his head over his shoulder and clenched his fists as around them electricity formed.

"You god damn… fools!" He snarled as both he and Togusa turned around, the former drawing his sword from his sheath before they both charged towards the group at lightning speed in a bloodthirsty rage.

"You're going to fucking pay!"


	8. Chapter 8: Torn Away

Stopping dead in his tracks, Daiju continued to stare at the newest member of Otogakure's shinobi forces as he remained still, slowly forming a small grin across his lips. Being the only part of his face he could see this raised the man's suspicions, bringing him to take a step towards Akito.

"You didn't suddenly get cold feet, did you? It's a bit late for that." Daiju questioned as the boy lifted his head up a bit to look through his hair at him.

"Did you really expect me to come willingly?" He questioned out loud as the four mutants looked to one another, preparing to once again fight the boy as Daiju chuckled.

"Really now? If four of you couldn't take us down, how could just one?" The leader asked, causing Akito's grin to widen.

"One?" He replied as almost instantly clay shadow clones of the boy began to appear from puffs of smoke around him, continuing until they numbered almost forty, though Daiju remained unimpressed.

"Do you really think shadow clones are enough to set you free?" He questioned with a huff as the real Akito continued to stare down his foes. He knew better than to believe he could simply escape from the fortress without great difficulty, especially with these men keeping an eye on him and the metal partitions separating the floors to prevent him from escaping like a mole.

"I have no intention of being set free..." The boy replied as several of his clones cracked their knuckles while others used pieces of their flesh to form clay weapons and bombs.

Darting forward toward the steadfast defenders with his army of clones following behind, Daiju grunted in annoyance as he transmuted his left and right arms into a shield and spear respectively.

Lunging forward the man immediately speared two of the clones with his weapon and violently flung them to the side in order to avoid their sticky effect he had fallen victim to earlier, eyeing them as they exploded in the distance.

"Find the real one and kill him if you must! Lord Orochimaru will make due with the corpse!" Daiju exclaimed as he and his allies continued to hammer into the army of clones trying the hardest to spot the host who, unbeknownst to them, was biding his time in order to probe his foes for a weakness.

He had already come to the conclusion that these men were highly resistant to his kekkei genkai's release, but that didn't mean they were completely impervious to all of his techniques. There had to be some way to gain the upper hand, no matter how blunt the approach.

Shifting his attention from Daiju to one of the nameless guards cutting through his drones, Akito quickly closed in on the man utilizing blunt mutations and jumped over one of his clones to strike him in the face repeatedly before rearing his fist back and unleashing a sharp blast of chakra. As he predicted the blast did not kill his foe but did cause him to stagger, giving him an idea.

Using hand signs Akito quickly summoned more of his clones who immediately charged towards the enemy and began to rapidly detonate in a chain effect, slamming into the man before blowing up one after another.

"You brat!" The man snarled as he stumbled backwards until the real boy again shot forward and used his release again, knocking him the rest of the way off balance and causing him to fall on his back.

"Now!" Akito exclaimed as almost instantly the clones around his target dove onto the man, forming a pile of false Akitos that merged into a solid mound of clay, trapping the man beneath.

Snickering at the success of his strategy, Akito jumped back away from the man and formed the hand sign necessary to detonate his clay, causing a massive explosion that shook the ground and instantaneously drew the attention of Daiju and his other two men.

Rushing towards the boy as the smoke settled and revealed a large splatter of blood across the now damaged metal floor, Daiju reared his spear back, dashed forward and aimed for Akito's chest, catching the boy off guard as the weapon pierced through his flak jacket towards his heart.

However, instead of feeling his spear pierce into Akito's flesh the tip of his arm stuck into something hard, allowing the boy time to push back away from him as his jacket tore open along it's velcro line, revealing a large clay plate that remained attached to the man's arm.

Sliding back away from Daiju as the clay plate latched on to the long transmuted weapon and began to rapidly crawl across his flesh towards his torso, Akito utilized his escape measure as a distraction in order to close in on the sight of his trap and examine the wreckage.

Somersaulting over one of the two remaining nameless guards as his clones formed a defensive perimeter, he slid to a stop where he had trapped their third brethren and looked down quickly at the bloody mess. It appeared that he could indeed destroy whatever these things were with enough explosive force, or at least those who were not Daiju, for he appeared to be an even stronger version of mutant who's transformation prevented him from most forms of damage.

However, with the amount of chakra it took to do so, as well as still having to deal with the Daiju himself and whatever else Orochimaru had planned for him, it seemed highly unlikely that he would be able to simply blast his way out of this prison. He was far too low on chakra for that.

In his observation he had taken notice to something else. He hadn't intended to, but his explosion occurred over top of what was a seam between two metal plates in the floor, causing the two pieces to curl down into the ground below, leaving a circular gap a few feet across that dropped into the soft stone and dirt between the reinforced layers of the fortress.

This presented him with a unique opportunity that given the circumstances he couldn't choose to ignore, as it could very well be his only chance at preventing his capture, as well as keeping Orochimaru's hands from getting ahold of his kekkei genkai.

Preparing to take the first step necessary to enact his plan, Akito formed his first to hand seals before being interrupted by Daiju's swing; the man having soared through the crowd of clones with the aid of a pair of wings that had sprouted from his back.

Parrying away his arm blade with his kunai, Akito struck the man's face with his right fist and then his stomach with a knee in an attempt to drive him back, though it failed as Daiju caught the boy's foot and threw him backwards to the ground below.

Grunting in pain and annoyance Akito instantly stood back on to his feet to attack again, but before he could strike Daiju dashed forward again and swung his blade, forcing him to duck and walking him straight into Daiju's knee as it buried itself into his stomach and threw him into the air.

Crying out from the rather rough blow, Akito slammed back into the ground and rolled to a stop on the hole he had made while all around him his clones disappeared into puffs of smoke. Immediately he tried to stand once again, only to fall back down to his hands and knees as he began violently coughing up trace amounts blood.

"Y-You… f-fucking prick…" He cursed under his breath as he reached inside of his opened flak jacket to feel his battered stomach while watching as the three remaining Sound mutants gathered around him and chuckled under their breath.

"It's over, kid. You've lost." Daiju stated as his arms returned to their normal state, bringing Akito to look up at him. He hadn't seen it before, but on the center of Daiju's chest was what appeared to be a seal, from which the discoloration of his skin seemed to spread out. Was this what made him and his lackeys so powerful? Some kind of human-based seal?

"I'm not… d-done yet." He replied as he leaned back to sit on his knees and place his hands to the ground beside him, once again bringing the men to laugh, including Daiju.

"Not done yet? Face it. Your clones are gone, your body is breaking and your attempt to deceive us has failed. All that is left is for you to accept that you belong to Lord Orochimaru now." The leader replied as Akito stared up a him through exhausted eyes and, much to Daiju's surprise, began to weakly laugh as a trickle of blood ran down his lip.

Unamused by the boy's continued defiance, Daiju's eyes narrowed in on Akito as his victorious grin slowly began to change.

"What's so funny?" He questioned as a clone of Akito suddenly appeared beside him on the dirt, it's body rapidly degrading as it did so.

"All the mine's are placed!" The clone stated as Akito's pain expression slowly turned upward into a grin; a direct opposite of Daiju, who now looked on to the boy in annoyance and anger.

"What is this? Your clones-" He began to contest as Akito cut him off.

"Don't you know that… c-clay clones don't disappear into nothing when dispelled? They explode." He replied as he nodded to his clone who, without hesitation, once again returned into the ground to seek out his place.

"It's the reason why I need the others to leave. This w-whole place is rigged to explode." Akito added as he lifted both of his hands from the dirt, revealing a line of clay that ran from below the surface both of his palms, causing Daiju to grunt in disbelief.

"You're lying. This facility is specifically built to sustain attack and infiltration, especially from those who dwell underground like yourself. It's indestructible. You could never do what you claim to have done, especially in your state." Daiju contested in an effort to shrug off Akito's statement as little more than a white lie intended to set him free, though Akito's grin remained.

"You are partially right… t-this place is definitely meant to be resistant to attack, but to call it indestructible… t-that is far from the truth. Too much void space in the ground between rooms… my clones might not have been able to get inside, but that doesn't matter." He replied as his fingers tightened around the clay fuses running into his hands, his body still pushing chakra down into the ground to connect all of his now suicidal clones together into one network of explosives.

"All I have to do is destroy the stone this place is built around a-and the whole place will collapse on itself. Nothing will survive. As for my state, I was forced to use my clones as the explosives themselves… but it will work." Akito added with an almost evil glare as Daiju's eye twitched as an increasingly nervous grunt left between his teeth. He could see now that the boy's clones had used the opening in the floor as a means to break out of their trap room. He had to stop the boy from destroying Orochimaru's lab!

"Why you…!" He growled as he immediately formed a sword and charged at the boy who raised both hands and rapidly placed them together form the sign necessary to set off his trap.

"Your master wants a piece of my kekkei genkai so bad… I'll give him something he'll never forget!"

Dashing forward at lightning speed towards the group of Kiri shinobi, Saburo immediately locked his sights onto Jun and swung his lightning charged blade down on the man who, in surprise, parried the sword away with a kunai.

"Whoa, time out! We didn't do that!" He exclaimed as he blocked Saburo's strike again and pushed him away, though the grey-haired man didn't relent.

"You escaped from that stronghold alive, that should have for you! By destroying this place you've sealed your death warrant!" He shouted as Togusa too closed in on his target and swung to strike Kisa, who jumped backwards to avoid the behemoth man's swing before spiking him with senbon from her holster.

"You son of a bitch!" She exclaimed as she ran up his large kanabo and kneed him in the face to little effect, only to be grabbed and thrown to the ground by the man who again lifted his war bat to strike.

"Foolish girl!" He exclaimed as he prepared to strike, only to be sent flying as Takao formed a water dragon from a nearby stagnant water puddle and struck him in the chest, knocking him backwards all the way to the third member of their group who, despite her allies' struggle, remained standing still while she sheepishly rubbed her arm.

Seeing this, Togusa grimaced and pushed her forward violently as he jumped back to his feet, trying his best to coerce her into joining the fight.

"Let's go Miyuki, you know the drill!" He barked as the girl looked to him for a second before turning away with a scowl, though before she could say anything Takao appeared above her with his sword drawn.

"Criminal scum!" He exclaimed as he prepared to bring Senson down atop her to split her in half, prompting Togusa to swing his Kanabo to quickly knock him off course and away from the timid girl.

"Miyuki!" He then screamed in annoyance as the girl reluctantly threw her fists to the side and closed her eyes for a second before opening them and revealing her glowing yellow irides.

"F-Fine!" She snapped in protest as electricity began to form around her hands as well, prompting her to dash forwards towards Kisa, who charged towards her as well.

"You made a mistake using us for your trick!" The Mist ninja exclaimed as she formed a blade of ice in both of her hands and jumped over Miyuki to land behind her, instantly causing her to duck as she swung her weapons.

Recovering, Miyuki punch Kisa's wounded stomach twice before shocking her with both hands, causing Kisa to grunt in pain as she retaliated by kneeing Miyuki in the jaw, causing her to first stagger backwards and then evade as she went on the offensive.

Irritated by being thrown directly into a fourth fight in a row, Jun once again summoned his Kamisori and laced it in between his already lacerated fingers.

"You want to play games Saburo, fine! It will be better to have a body to match with the crime when I have to explain to the Mizukage what you've done!" He threatened as he dashed towards the sword wielding client and attempted to ensnare him in his trap, throwing his Kamisori up onto the man who snagged it with his blade.

Twisting his sword, Saburo violently tugged on the chained wire to tighten it on Jun's fingers before flushing it with his own electrically charged chakra, causing the man on the other end to groan in pain as his body tensed up, though almost immediately Kisa noticed his plight and came to his rescue by forcing Saburo to avoid a volley of her ice shards.

Sliding across the ground to stabilize himself, Saburo huffed. If they had any hope of making it to the now burning fortress before all hope of finding what they came for was lost they would need to kill these shinobi fast; a task that would be difficult with them constantly interfering like this.

Standing up straight and preparing his sword to again lash out against the man called Jun, Saburo looked towards Miyuki as she clashed against the Mist kunoichi as well as Togusa who, with a slight bit of enjoyment, was toying with the swordsmen of the group in the distance.

"Miyuki, form a thick fog over the area. I need these rats in a cage… my cage." He ordered as the girl looked to him and then back to Kisa, parrying away one of her ice blades in the process.

"Are you sure? They are from Kiri, Saburo. They likely-" She stated in an attempt to dispute his choice, only to catch a bout of Saburo's anger as he charged forward towards Jun and again locked blades with him, though this time he had discarded his wire in order to prevent being electrocuted again.

"Don't question what I am telling you, just do it!" He demanded as the girl jumped up onto a tree to avoid another of Kisa's attacks and grunted, both in fear and frustration, before forming the hand seals necessary to constitute the requested technique.

Within seconds a heavy fog began to roll into the are they had been fighting in, steadily increasing in thickness as Kisa jumped up onto the tree branch above to stop her from thickening the fog any more.

"I don't think so!" She exclaimed as she attempted to freeze the girl in place so that she could easily kill her, though as did so Miyuki jumped in the air to prevent her feet from being encased in ice, planted them to the tree and flew straight towards the girl with a kunai drawn.

"Get away from me!" She cried as Kisa drew her own blade, deflected her attack away and prepared to strike again, although before she could do so the girl quickly jumped to another tree, forcing Kisa to chase her.

Seeing the fog rolling in as he locked his large iron-studded kanabo to Takao's broadsword, Togusa laughed.

"Took you long enough, Miyuki; you lazy bitch!" He exclaimed as Takao grunted, doing everything in his power to hold back the enormous man's attack. Even at his size handling someone like Togusa was challenging, especially with his weapon of choice. Kanabos were known to be strong enough to break swords in half, and in the hands of a master could be devastating weapons of war. He needed to watch himself, as he had no doubt that this Togusa was one of them.

"That's rather harsh, isn't it? Judging by her appearance she's one of your kinsmen." Takao stated through his teeth in an effort to distract the man, though he simply laughed it off and increased the pressure he was exerting on Takao's blade.

"That little worm? Please. She's not of the Naito clan, at least not in pure blood!" Togusa replied as Takao groaned under his breath in annoyance. Having grown up in a strongly knitted family it seemed hard to imagine ever treating someone in a family that way, even if that person was not closely related.

Breaking their deadlock, Takao slid back a bit before swinging his blade around in a whirlwind fashion to try and break the enemy's sword breaker, though despite his chakra-infused effort he succeeded in doing little more than chipping some of the food from the center as Togusa laughed and began to counter attack.

His wishes complete, Saburo grinned. The fog may not have been as thick as he had hoped, but it was more than enough to accomplish what he had in mind. Blocking Jun's kusarigama as he summoned it to assist in the battle the man charged up his chakra in his left hand and smashed it into his foe, sending the man flying further away from the group in an unknown direction with a loud scream.

"Guah!" Jun exclaimed as she slammed to the ground and skidded to a stop after several rolls, watching as through the thick mist Saburo charged directly at him, forcing him to jump to his feet to intercept.

"You are going to wish you never used me and my friends as disposable assets!" He cried out as he again used his kusarigama to parry away Saburo's sword, trying his best to counter his rather skilled opponent.

Jumped to the next tree in pursuit of Miyuki, Kisa's head snapped to where Jun had been prior to the onset of fog, having heard his pained scream.

"Jun?!" She called to no avail, causing her stomach to knot a bit. She couldn't see a single thing through the fog and given the unknown skill level of their opponent that was very dangerous. From his comments she was certain Saburo wanted them to be divided up in order to prevent them from helping one another, even furthering her worry.

Eyeing up her target, Kisa again tried to freeze her to the tree as she jumped towards the girl and landed beside her, swiping her sword over the girl's head as Miyuki tried desperately to push her back.

"Stand still!" Kisa growled through her teeth as she rapidly swept both blades, striking her once across the back before spearing her through the chest, though the Miyuki she stabbed quickly disappeared into a water clone.

"Shit!" Kisa cursed, her eyes widening as she suddenly someone above her, bringing her to look up as Miyuki descended down from the trees on top of her with her own kunai drawn.

"I said to get away!" She cried as she dove down towards Kisa and channeled her electricity into the kunai, nearing Kisa's head as from the trees another from emerged; a form that without hesitation flew into Miyuki, striking her in the face with a fist and then in the stomach with a knee before locking both hands together and smashing her down towards the ground as Kisa gasped.

Quickly turning over her shoulder to see who had just landed on the limb beside her, Kisa's eyes opened wide at the sight red clothing and a brown, battered flak jacket that blew in the wind as the boy balanced and prepared to launch another attack.

"A-Akito?!" She questioned as their eyes connected, bringing her heart to race faster as almost immediately a rush of solace came over her, comforting her troubled mind before being bombarded with a million questions. He was alive? How was it possible that he was able to escape and destroy the base?

Staring into her blue orbs for only a second, Akito immediately jumped in the air over the battlefield as Miyuki disappeared below the fog and formed hand seals before taking a deep breath and unleashing fire directly down onto the mist below, burning away a large area around where his attack struck. This failed to hit or injure Miyuki though it did succeed in revealing both the girl's location as well as Takao and Togusa as the radiant heat evaporated the moisture in the air.

Rolling to a stop beside Togusa and grabbing her injured stomach, Miyuki looked up at her traveling companion with obvious fear and pain in her eyes, as well as a trail of blood that ran from her lip.

"T-There's another one! He came out of nowhere!" She announced as Togusa snickered, watching through the disappearing fog as Akito landed on the ground in the center of the clearing and immediately took a knee from exhaustion.

"Another? Hunter-nin coming looking for this group already?" He questioned as his eyes focused on the boy before smiling a wide grin.

"A Stone ninja? It seems things just got interesting." Togusa added as Takao moved back to Akito's side with his own grin before roughly patting him on the back.

"Ah! I knew you would make it!" He said with a small chuckle as Kisa joined the group, landing at Akito's side as she looked him over from top to bottom, forcing him to stand to avoid worrying her with his condition, though it didn't help much.

Despite his facade she could clearly see that he was exhausted as well as injured. He had blood running from his neck, the holes in his undershirt and coat beneath his Iwagakure flak jacket clearly showed bruising across his stomach and he could barely stand, especially given how heavy he was breathing.

"Are you alright?" She questioned as he nodded and returned his vision forward to the massive war bat wielding man and small woman in front of them.

"What happened? Where's Jun?" He questioned as Kisa returned her eyes to Togusa and Miyuki, turning her concerned expression to one of frustration and anger.

"Saburo betrayed us. There were no bandits, just like you said… it was all a trick to get us to clear out that Otogakure facility for him and his men. As far as Jun is… I'm not sure." She replied as Togusa laughed.

"To be honest we never expected you to clear them all out, let alone survive. You were intended to thin them out a little before we arrived, and certainly not to blow it up afterwards." He replied as Akito's eyes narrowed on Togusa, taking little humor in his statement.

"You think that's funny? Tricking someone into doing your dirty work?" He questioned as he plunged his left hand into his clay reserve that at this point held little more than some spare pieces at the bottom, bringing Togusa to laugh again.

"Yes, actually. It's quite the amusing game. Saburo might be a bit upset about the results, but me… I'm fine going on living this way." He stated as he looked to Miyuki who, despite his reassuring slap to her back, continued to look nervously at the team of shinobi before her.

"Besides… you all look like quite tasty." He again added with a laugh as Akito looked to Kisa and Takao in confusion, both of whom shrugged and shook their head to signal that they had not idea what he meant.

Looking back to Togusa as he continued to laugh, Akito took a deep breath before charging forward at the man without warning, flicking up to the height of his head as he reared his fist back to strike.

"Shut that mouth!" He exclaimed as he swung his fist to strike, only to be smashed to the ground by an incredibly lightning fast kanabo strike from the man who, by all means, should never have been able to lift and swing the weapon that fast.

Seeing Akito struck down again so soon after his return Kisa gasped, only to sigh in relief as his body turned white and detonated, knocking Togusa back a bit and surprising both he and Miyuki, who had never quite seen something like that before.

"What the hell was that?!" The girl questioned as both Takao and Kisa took this opportunity to strike, dashing forward towards the two as Akito reappeared behind Togusa and again tried to use his kekkei genkai on the man, prompting him to immediately spin his kanabo around in a tornado fashion similar to Takao, smashing both Takao and Akito back with tremendous force.

Slamming into trees on opposite sides of the field both Akito and Takao grunted out in anguish as Kisa closed in on Miyuki and formed an ice mirror in front of her, which she quickly entered and disappeared before reappearing in another mirror below her and stabbing through both of her feet with kunai.

Letting out a sharp scream of pain the girl began to buckle to the earth before Togusa intervened, swiping Miyuki out of his way in a rather violent manner with his kanabo before rearing it high to smash Kisa's mirror as Akito quickly propelled himself from the tree he struck and flew towards the giant.

"Hey!" He exclaimed to catch the man's attention before creating a large clay fuma shuriken and throwing it straight towards the man, causing him to redirect the blow intended for Kisa into his weapon which, upon detonation, sent him flying as well.

Sliding to a stop as he dug his weapon into the ground, Togusa looked up as Akito continued forward with his charge, bringing the behemoth to rash towards him as well.

"You can't match my power!" He exclaimed as he swung down on top of Akito who, in a brazen move, caught the kanabo with his left fist utilizing a well-timed Exploding Palm to slow it's velocity, opening the man up for a direct strike.

With a loud scream of anger Akito attempted to slam his fist into the guard-broken man's chest, but missed as Togusa shifted to avoid the attack, resulting in the blow landing on his upper right arm as it remained lifted in the air holding his kanabo.

Not wasting his strike Akito activated his kekkei genkai nonetheless, unleashing a blast that tore the man's flesh from bone and tore bone asunder, causing his right arm to detach and free fall towards the ground as the man growled in anger and extreme pain.

However, this wasn't enough to stop the man's aggression, and as his severed arm fell from his body he reached out, grabbed his kanabo and struck back, underhand striking Akito in the stomach and sending him flying across the battlefield with a large crack.

Sliding to a stop after violently rolling across the forest floor, Akito remained still as he tried desperately to catch his breath. The blow was both unexpected and heavy, which coupled with his already tattered body was more than enough to knock whatever fighting spirit his body held down to nothing.

Wrapping his arm around his stomach Akito stood up onto one hand and his knees and attempted to stand as blood dripped from his mouth, but despite Togusa's life threatening injury the man charged towards him in a swift flicker and raised the kanabo high in the air to smash Akito back down.

"Die, rat!" He exclaimed as he swung the bat down on top of Akito to break his back, only to fail as Kisa stepped in front of him and locked the kanabo between her ice swords before kicking him back as hard as she could, freezing him in place and dropping to her knees beside their injured friend.

"Akito." She stated under her breath as she reached underneath him and placed a hand on his stomach which, in a daze and in overbearing pain, brought the boy to place his own over top of hers, causing her stomach to knot in a different way as she in turn placed a reassuring hand on his back.

"H-His arm… I-I took it off and he… h-he didn't even flinch." He stated as she began to heal his injuries, bringing her to look at the motionless arm laying in the distance as it's owner remained trapped in her ice.

"I know, I… I don't understand. An injury like that will kill him in minutes. Yet he seems completely unaffected." She replied as she looked around for any sign of Takao or Miyuki.

"Takao must have chased Miyuki. We need to get you-" She began to add as Akito shook his head. He knew she was going to suggest that they get him to safety so she could return to face off against him, but that wasn't going to happen.

"N-No, I'm not going to l-let you fight him alone." He contested as he looked up into her eyes, bringing back the memory of how he had promised not to leave her under the rocks as well as what his clones had said to her, forcing her to look away to hide just how flustered and confused she was.

"Just… be careful. Please." She said softly as she continued to heal his stomach, watching as cracks began to slowly form across the mound of ice their foe was trapped inside of. He would break free at any minute, and they needed to be ready.

As Kisa predicted Takao did indeed chase Miyuki who, at the sight of Togusa's dismemberment, turned and ran deeper into the forest in an attempt to escape; an attempt Togusa was not going to allow based on all of the trouble they had caused them.

"Get back here!" He demanded as he jumped from tree to tree above the bleeding girl below, watching her stumble as she desperately tried to flee on her injured feet while looking up at him in fear.

"L-Let me go! Please!" She pleaded as she ran and jumped onto a tree in an effort use it as leverage, only to stumble and fall off of the trunk into a small clearing below as Takao followed and threw his broadsword into the ground in front of her to intimidate her even further.

"You!" He exclaimed as he landed on his feet and drew his short blade, causing the girl to panic and begin to hyperventilate as she rolled over onto her back and started to crawl backwards away from him.

"No, no! No! P-Please, no!" She rapidly pleaded as Takao walked almost directly to her and lifted his blade to strike her down, but froze as he noticed that she was crying; the tears silently streaming down her face and mixing with the blood running from her lip as she held her hand up towards him to shield herself with it.

"I'm sorry! I-I had no choice! Please!" Miyuki added as Takao's eyes locked to hers, almost immediately showing him just how petrified of him she was. If she was afraid of death why would she decide to be a shinobi then? He understood that it seemed like she was being forced to attack them, but was she forced to do that as well?

Slightly lowering his guard, Takao's eyes remained locked to the helpless girl's as his sword slowly fell to the side. Kisa and Akito were likely struggling to fend off Togusa while Jun fought against the client himself, leaving him little time to mess around. If he didn't need to fight her, he wouldn't.

"Get out of here, don't come back." He ordered as the girl's breath quivered and after only a moment she stood back up to her feet and weakly began to scurry away, leaving Takao to watch her for a second before gathering his sword turning to rush back to the fight.

Continuing to struggle against his deceptive client, Jun once again locked his war sickle to Saburo's blade, filling the air with sparks as he parried it to the side and used the weighted end of his chain to strike the man in the face.

"You expected Orochimaru and his men to kill us, but you underestimated what we were capable of!" He exclaimed as he followed up Saburo's stagger with a kick to his chest armor, furthering his stumble before attempting to decapitate the man who use his quick reflexes to deflect Jun's weapon away.

Smirking at his successful evasion Saburo immediately went on the offensive, rapidly slashing at his opponent with his chakra-infused blade and continuously parry to avoid being cut open by the razor sharp, electricity powered Katana.

"I am not impressed. Orochimaru is weakening by the day, as is his mind." Saburo replied as he slashed across Jun's cheek and then buried the tip of his blade into Jun's right shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as the electricity burned his body and forced him to drop his sickle from his hand.

"He should have never refused my proposal, and you should have never betrayed us and destroyed the base!" He added as he pulled the sword from Jun's shoulder and prepared to thrust it into his heart before catching sight of something from the corner of his eye; Miyuki, as she quickly hurried away from the scene of her fight.

"Miyuki, where are you going?!" He called out to the girl as she continued to route, infuriating him to the point of becoming distracted, allowing Jun to unleash his own attack.

Retracting the kusarigama back to his palm with the chain in his left hand, Jun lunged forward, reared his hand back and slashed Saburo across the forearms, cutting deep into his flesh as blood sprayed from both arteries, causing him to scream in pain as put distance between himself and Jun.

Forming his own victorious grin as he too winced in pain, Jun stepped forward and prepared to attack again.

"Should have paid the e-extra dime and bought yourself some braces for that armor." He taunted as he threw the bag of money Saburo had given him onto the ground, causing Saburo to stare at him as he hissed in pain.

"You… y-you're going to pay for that dearly." He replied as he held his sword to the side and charged it with electricity again regardless of his injuries, causing Jun to raise an eyebrow out of curiosity. Was he really going to just let the life drain from his body? Fine by him.

"Let's go you cheap, nostalgic bastard!" He exclaimed as he charged forward into Saburo once again, clashing back and forth with everything he had.

Breaking free of Kisa's ice, Togusa stepped forward a bit and looked down at his severed stump of a right arm, which had since stopped bleeding much to Kisa and Akito's surprise, causing both to share a look across their face that made the man laugh.

"I don't need that arm to finish off the two of you, especially not with that one as broken as your little ice sculpture." He mocked as Kisa looked back down at Akito in worry, his fingers still laced between hers as she continued to repair the blunt force damage done to his internal organs.

It made no sense why the man wasn't at all concerned about his wound and even less sense as to why the severed limb had stopped bleeding, but regardless of the reason they had to prepare to fight. Gently pulling Kisa's hand away from his stomach as she stopped using her medical ninjutsu, Akito's eyes shifted to hers.

"I'll be a-alright." He stated softly as he let go of her hand and lethargically stood up to his feet, bringing her to do the same beside him as her hand subconsciously closed and pulled to her heart at the sudden loss of heat while to her side Akito's eyes slowly moved from Togusa to the wound on her stomach as blood continued to slowly run down her skin, soaking her shirt below the laceration.

Seeing his worry, the girl lowered the hand over her heart to her laceration to block it from view as she shook her head.

"Don't worry about me Akito, focus on Togusa. You're in rough shape and I'm nearly out of chakra." She stated as Akito slowly nodded in agreement and returned his attention to the one armed monster in front of him.

"I'm almost o-out as well. What's your plan?" He questioned as Togusa stepped towards them again before dashing straight at them, forcing her to act quickly. Grabbing Akito, the girl jumped backwards away from the monster and formed several ice walls to help separate them, though the man simply smashed through each individually as he charged until he again was face to face with the duo.

"You two are nothing to me!" He exclaimed as he swung his kanabo in the air with his remaining arm and prepared to strike, forcing Akito to dash forward and ram his fist into the man's plate armor, unleashing a small explosion that staggered him back and bought Kisa time to form spikes under his feet.

With a laugh Togusa simply jumped over her attack and smashed the ice back towards them, temporarily blinding them as they covered their eyes to protect themselves from the fragments and giving him an opportunity to unleash his own ninjutsu.

Using his only remaining hand, the man formed hand signs as fast as he could and inhaled a large breath of air before exhaling an extremely focused gust of air in a spear shape, striking Akito and knocking him back as Kisa rushed forward in his stead and pulled a mixture of senbon and kunai from her pouch.

Jumping in the air above Togusa as his eyes shifted upward the girl formed a mirror below her feet and disappeared before swiftly forming several others around the man, from which she emerged without warning and peppered him with weapons from several angles, infuriating him even further.

"Your kekkei genkai is irritating!" He exclaimed as he swung his kanabo around using the wind and smashed three of the five mirrors before Kisa could make it out, resulting in her rolling to a stop as Togusa eyed her sliding body.

Jumping forward and lifting his bat in the air the giant prepared to crush the girl beneath his massive wooden weapon, laughing as Akito suddenly flickered in front of her and reared his fist back.

"You idiotic child!" Togusa threatened as he swung the bat down on Akito who reached out and impacted the bat with as much chakra as he could, stopping his swing as he did earlier and, much to Togusa's dismay, breaking his beloved kanabo in two.

Stumbling forward as the piece of his weapon still in his hand missed it's target, the man growled in anger at the loss of his longtime weapon of war, forcing him to raise what remained up to strike the exhausted boy down before being stopped by Takao as he stepped in front of him and blocked his attack with his broadsword.

"Takao!" Kisa exclaimed as she quickly stood back up on her feet and stepped beside Akito, watching as their friend looked over his shoulder with a small grin.

"Who else?" He questioned as his eyes rapidly changed from Kisa to Akito and then back out at their surroundings as he looked around for Jun, who he had not seen since the fog rolled in several minutes ago.

"You need to go find Jun. I will handle this washed up, one armed fool." Takao added as he focused on Togusa who prepared to face off against his sword wielding foe, bringing Kisa to look over Takao's body. He was just as battered as the rest of them, making her uneasy leaving him alone with the man.

"Are you sure Takao? What about the girl?" Kisa questioned as he shook his head.

"She ran, and I highly doubt she will be coming back." Takao replied, instantly causing Togusa to scowl in disgust.

"That bitch! When I find her, I'm going to crush her for this!" He snarled as Takao's eyes narrowed on his opponent, still holding his sword to the stump in his hand, and prepared to tell them once again to find Jun before becoming distracted by a discharge of lightning from the ground in the distance, lighting up the fog in the direction from which it came.

"What was that?" Kisa questioned before Akito suddenly grunted in pain as the seal on his neck began to burn hotter than smoldering coals, causing him to reach up and place his hand on it. Almost immediately he could feel that the raised, welted flesh the seal was imprinted on had begun to return to normal, bringing a dreadful feeling to twist his stomach in a knot.

When Jun placed the seal on him over a week ago he specifically said that the only ways the seal would come off were if he released it or upon his death; the former of which seemed highly unlikely given the situation, leading him to fear the worst.

"I'll go help Jun, stay here and help Takao!" The boy suddenly exclaimed as he faced the direction from which the lightning had just come and stepped forward, bringing Kisa to reach out for him in protest as he disappeared beneath the soil, using his Hiding Like a Mole technique to quickly propel him towards his destination.

Reaching where he believed the light came from, Akito emerged from the ground and began to run between the trees through the thick fog; all around him signs of battle ranging from blood splatters to cuts and chops taken out of thick trees, likely caused by intense fighting.

"Fuck…" He cursed under his breath in frustration as he continued forward in his search until coming to a somewhat open clearing where most of the fog had faded away, bringing him to slow down as his eyes fixated on a sight he didn't want to see; Jun laying motionless in the center of the clearing while Saburo knelt beside him with his back towards him.

Grunting in anger, Akito drew two knives from his pouch and dashed forward towards the clearing, calling out Jun's name as he did so.

"Jun!" He exclaimed as he passed the treeline and instantly caught Saburo's attention, causing the man's head and upper body to shift towards him, revealing that his whole face from the eyes down was covered in blood, as were his hands while across his body tiny specks discolored his clothing and hair.

Stopping in his tracks in disbelief, Akito's eyes next shifted down to Jun as he stared up at the sky with an emotionless gaze as blood ran from his lips. Although Saburo's form had blocked most of the boy's view, it was clear that Jun's throat had been torn open, instantly leading Akito to grunt in shock as he looked back to Saburo's mouth. Could it be? Had he… had he torn open Jun's throat with his teeth?

Locking his glowing yellow eyes to the boy behind him, Saburo stood to his feet with an almost sick, satisfied look across his face as he turned to reveal the trails of blood that ran down his chin and the front of his armor.

"You… I remember you. You were there at that awful ramen shop when I made the deal with this fool." He stated as Akito's hands trembled with anger, as well as a tinge of fear. He could see now that a large hole had been pierced through Jun's chest where his heart was, and the longer he stared at his face the more he was sure that this man was chewing on his flesh.

"What… what have y-you done to him?!" He questioned as Saburo's grin slowly widened and his eyes returning to his fresh kill on the ground behind him.

"This one? I hired him to complete a task, and in return he betrayed me. I told him he would pay for destroying that facility." Saburo replied as he looked down at the wounds on his arms, both of which slowly steamed as they closed in an almost cauterizing effect.

"And for trying to cut off my arms… a price he paid with his flesh." He added as Akito tightened the grip on his blades, rattling them against the zippers on his gloves and bringing Saburo to look back at the fearful boy with an increasingly wide grin.

"I'm not sure why you decided to help these three, but I assure you that you should have turned around and ran when you had the chance!" He exclaimed as he drew his sword and flickered towards Akito, forcing the boy to deflect his blade away from him with a kunai before striking the man in the face with his fist.

"Why you…!" Akito snarled as he activated his kekkei genkai that, while rather weak, was enough to send the man flying backwards across the open field, over Jun's corpse and into a tree with enough forced to crack the bark.

Slamming into the wood the relatively unscathed man quickly redirected his vision back to the boy as he charged forward to strike again bringing him to break loose of the tree and counter, knocking the boy backwards before unleashing a flurry of swipes with his sword.

Dodging the attacks Akito parried the blade away with the kunai in his left hand and then without hesitation stabbed Saburo's grip with his right, causing the man to drop his sword though he almost immediately charged a fierce amount of lightning chakra into his left hand and swung at Akito in an attempt to cut him, filling the air with a horrendous cackle of electricity.

Evading the attack Akito grabbed his arm and broke it over his knee, causing him to scream before punching Akito as hard as he could in the stomach, knocking him back across the ground before he could recover and slide to a stop on his knees watching Saburo's every move.

Standing back up straight after landing, Saburo stated the boy down with a small grin as he grabbed his broken arm and twisted it back into place.

"You may be a tough nut to crack after all, boy." He stated as he held his arm still long enough for his bones to heal at least partially, keeping his eyes on the boy in front of him as he panted heavily from exhaustion. With the way he spoke it seemed as if he had some sort of attachment to at least some of the three man group from Kiri, likely leading to something he could use in his favor.

"Maybe I should go after your remaining friends instead, hmm? That girl in particular sure smelled… tasty." Saburo taunted with a laugh in an effort to probe the boy for weakness, clearly striking a nerve as the boy grunted and charged forward towards him in anger.

"You won't touch her!" He exclaimed as he reared his fist back to strike, dodging Saburo's chakra cutter and placing his hand to the man's abdominal armor, which he then activated to send the man backwards although as he did so Saburo replaced himself with a log and reappeared on the other side of, striking him through the chest and out the other side before being caught in a clay clone explosion that sent both men flying backwards to a stop.

Although he had avoided his strike it seemed unlikely that he would be able to continuously do so much longer given his rapidly depleting chakra, forcing him to come up with another plan. Acting quickly before Saburo could attack yet again, Akito formed a small ball of clay in his left hand while drawing a scroll from his pouch with his right and combined the two. This was something he had yet to use in fear of accidentally injuring his team mates, but it seemed that there was no better time than now.

"I'm going to make you p-pay for what you did to Jun!" He exclaimed as he ran towards Saburo once more, prompting the man to grin as he drew his sword from the ground and dashed towards him in a game of chicken. It was rather cliche for the boy to get so worked up over his threatening of the only girl in the group, but if it worked in luring the boy into his trap, so be it.

"You couldn't if you tried, you are nothing!" He exclaimed as he closed in on Akito and swung his sword, causing the boy to duck before he punched Saburo in the exposed under arm and was immediately retaliated against with a kick in the stomach.

"Gah!" Akito exclaimed as he recoiled, recovered, grabbed ahold of Saburo's sword wielding arm and broke it once more before throwing him over his shoulder, once again causing Saburo to disappear into a puff a smoke and reappear behind him.

Thrusting his sword towards the boy Saburo laughed in anticipated victory as Akito parried the blade to the side with his kunai and jumped backwards over the man to strike at his rather blast resistant armor with his Landmine Fist, knocking the man harshly to the ground.

With a grunt of discomfort the cannibal jumped back to his feet and swung his broken blade arm around to decapitate the boy as Akito again knocked it away and struck Saburo in the face with the intent of using his kekkei genkai to take of the man's head in turn, but as he did so his chakra stuttered out, resulting in the attack failing.

With a gasp Akito's eyes widened as immediately Saburo's toothy grin returned and with hesitation the man shot forward towards onto the boy, using his teeth to grasp the boy's exposed shoulder through his open flak jacket.

Crying out in pain as the man's teeth dug into his neck and clavicle Akito jabbed the kunai in his right hand into the Saburo's exposed leg, causing him to flinch in pain but not enough to let him go as the man grinned. Preparing his chakra cutter in his hand to pierce Akito's heart as he had done to Jun, Saburo's eyes shifted to the boy as he hugged onto the man with both arms and grinned through the pain.

Instantly sending something was wrong, Saburo attempted to break free of the boy's hug as tore flesh from his neck, only to find that it had turned to clay along with the rest of the boy's body.

"What?!" Saburo stated as he quickly severed the boy's arms with dual swipes of his glowing hands and attempted to step back although he was too slow and was instantly engulfed in the clone's explosion, forcing him to cover his face with his arms.

Sliding to a stop a few feet from the detonation, Saburo's immediately grabbed his now absent right eye and scoured the area around him in search of the boy for a few second before dropping on to one knee and grabbing his chest.

"Guah…" He moaned as he looked down at the blood covering his hand that seeped from multiple holes pierced into his chest and abdominal armor as Akito appeared in front of him and collapsed onto his knees as he grabbed his neck to put pressure on the bite marks tore into his flesh.

Seeing the boy, Saburo snarled. Did he allow himself to be caught in his jaws on purpose? No, how could he have known the circumstances would line up just so? More importantly, how did he break through his armor with a simple explosion like that? Did he know his secret?

"You… what did you do?!" He questioned in a furious tone as the exhausted boy continued to stare him down, wishing he had the strength to stand up and finish him off.

"B-Ball bearings." Akito answered between quivering breaths, each bringing with it a trembling wince of pain as he tried to make sense of what happened. The attack had failed to tear his body to pieces as he had hoped, but yet succeeded in causing some level of painful injury to his foe. Why? Was there some kind of weak spot hidden behind his armor?

Hearing the boy's reply Saburo again snarled in disgust as he attempted to weakly stand to his feet.

"Y-You fucking prick, I…" He stated as he grabbed his sword and replaced it in its sheath before forming hand signs with one hand and making sure to hold pressure on his wounded eye with the other.

"I'll remember you!" He exclaimed before disappearing into a bolt of lightning that came down from gathering storm clouds, just as rain began to drop down from the heavens above.

Looking up as the subsequent roar of thunder filled the Land of Sound, Akito closed his eyes in exhaustion; his mouth slightly agape as the rain began to land on his face.

This was one of the toughest days he had experienced in a long time, forcing him to use nearly all of his chakra over the course of four individual fights, including one against a legendary shinobi known across the ninja world.

Opening his eyes as the reality of what had happened set in, Akito looked down to Jun's body fifty feet from him or so and instantly looked away at the sight of the gruesome murder. As he observed before Jun's chest had been pierced through by why he assumed was Saburo's hand infused with lightning chakra, while his throat had clearly been torn out by his teeth.

But with the way Saburo spoke he hadn't just killed Jun by tearing his throat out to kill him, he was feasting on his flesh like some sort of ghoul from a child's nightmare. The thought alone was enough to make Akito's skin crawl and as he looked back to Jun's painless expression staring up at the sky, his heart sank.

Weakly standing back up on his feet while trying his hardest not to collapse back to the ground, Akito's slowly walked over to Jun's body and stopped just short of the large puddle of blood that had surrounded him, dying his forehead protector red as it lay torn from his body.

Death was something he had become accustomed to over the past few years, leading him to maintain his composure despite the pit that lingered in his stomach. Maybe in another time they could have been friends, especially if they had been born in the same village as one another, but for now all he could do was sigh and prepare for what he knew would be one of the hardest moments of his life; telling Takao and Kisa that he was dead.

Kneeling down Akito slowly reached out and picked up Jun's forehead protector and closed his eyes with his fingers before gently laying the bloody item across his forehead in a sign of respect. The ultimate respect would be to bring Jun's body back to the group instead of leaving it there alone in the forest but in his current condition he could barely hold up his own weight, let alone anyone else's.

"I'm sorry Jun." He stated in a somber tone as he stood back up onto his feet and took one final look at his former captor's body before slowly turning and making his way towards Kisa and Takao, once again entering the misty woods and navigating the trees until he came to the clearing their fight had began in.

This fog created by the trio's kunoichi had finally begun to rescind, increasing the visibility in the area greatly despite the approaching storm and allowing Kisa to spot the boy the second that he emerged from the tree line.

"There you are!" She yelled to the boy as she began to walk towards him, sharing the same exhausted look he did. In the time he was gone they had managed to drive Togusa off of the battlefield, forcing him to grab his severed arm and what remained of his kanabo and run, leaving them victorious.

Hearing the girl's call Akito smiled a bit in reassurance that she and Takao were alright, though it quickly turned to a frown as she came closer to him and looked around for what he knew was their missing partner.

Focusing back on Akito's battered body, specifically his bleeding neck, Kisa's own tiny grin turned upside down. She could see now that he was both injured and disheartened, and as he stumbled and fell down on to his knees it was clear he was weak as well.

With a gasp Kisa rushed forward and knelt down beside him, immediately pulling his hand from his neck, bringing her to immediately gasp again at the sight of the teeth marks in his flesh.

"Akito what happened, where… where's Jun?" She questioned as she reached up and placed her hand on his wound to hold pressure as he shook his head, watching Takao approach behind her as well. How was he going to tell them? There was absolutely nothing he could do to alleviate the horrific nature of Jun's death let alone the pain that would be inflicted on both of them upon hearing the news, prompting him to swallow nervously as he prepared to speak.

"J-Jun…" He began to explain, but just as he started to speak a strange presence made its way onto the battlefield and headed towards them, uprooting the ground like a mole and leaving a trail behind itself as it did so.

"Look out!" Takao exclaimed as he slammed Senso into the ground to try and catch whatever it was that was quickly moving towards them though he failed to do so, allowing it to come closer to Akito and Kisa before a large snake dove out of the dirt towards the boy.

His eye's widening at the sight of the oncoming reptile, Akito attempted to draw a kunai from his pouch with his shaky hands as Kisa stood to her feet and created a handful of ice senbon in her hand, tossing them after the snake and causing it to evade to prevent it from reaching Akito.

However as she threw her last creation the snake disappeared without warning, only to reappear behind her as it sprung from the ground and latched onto the back of ner neck through her hair with it's teeth, causing her to scream loudly as Takao moved in behind her and quickly bisected the creature in half.

"Bastard! Where did that come from?!" He grunted as the two halves fell to the ground, shriveled up and died amidst Kisa's cry as she too fell to her knees and grabbed at her neck, almost instantly overcome with pain and such a severe burning sensation in her neck that she could have swore she was on fire.

Almost immediately Akito moved forward and grabbed ahold of Kisa to look at the bite with the assumption that she had been poisoned, but as he pulled her hair back and saw what appeared to be some sort of seal placed across her skin in the loose shape of a snowflake, he gasped. What was this? Who could have done this?

"Kisa-" He questioned as the girl continued to scream in agony, grabbing ahold of his arms with a grip so tight that it seemed she was holding on for dear life; a sentiment conveyed by her eyes as she stared up at Akito's in the purest expression of fear and pain he had ever seen, begging him to help though much to his dismay he could not.

"Hold on Kisa, we-" He again attempted to speak as Kisa's screaming abruptly ended and her eyes rolled to the back of her head, unable to handle the pain coursing through her body any longer, causing him to grunt as he caught her, rolled her on her back and gently pulled her into his chest to prevent her from falling on her face.

"Kisa!" Akito cried out repeatedly as Takao knelt down beside them and looked at her now painless face as the tears of agony that had welled up in her eyes silently rolled down her cheeks.

Checking to make sure she was still alive, Akito turned his attention back to Takao who's own looked mirrored his own, unsure about what had just happened or how to proceed.

There was no way that a random snake was able to do that, nor could any other shinobi he could think of save for the Sannin with the snake affection they had just faced. He had to have done this. But why? What was this symbol, and what did it do?

"Orochimaru…" He grunted angrily through his teeth as Takao looked at him at the mention of the man's name and then back down at Kisa.

"Now what do we do?" He asked as Akito looked down at Kisa's face and subconsciously pulled her a bit closer to his body. That was a good question.


	9. Chapter 9: Breaking Down

Stirred awake at a loud crack of thunder Kisa slowly opened her eyes as her body gradually came alive, revealing the dark, rain-filled world around her as she looked up at the sky above. It seemed that she had been sleeping underneath a large tree while at her feet a small fire roared, but what came as most shocking was the fact that she was right up against Akito as the boy sat up against the trunk, almost as if she was attempting to cuddle with him.

Embarrassed and instantly flustered, Kisa lifted her head off of the backpack it had been resting on and sat up on her elbows to look at the boy who much to her relief appeared to be sleeping, bringing her to emit a small sigh as she looked him over in confusion, only to become ruffled again at the realization that Akito's clan jacket was thrown over top of her in an effort to keep warm.

Biting her lip at the rather generous gesture she again looked up at the boy who now wore only his flak jacket overtop of his black t-shirt and bandaged arms, curious as to what happened. The last thing she remembered before waking up here was watching him come out of the forest, which itself created quite a few questions. What happened, where were they and how long had she been asleep?

Slowly sitting up further to get a better look at his injuries she immediately spotted the bruises on his face as well as the bloodied bandage hastily wrapped around his neck, causing her to remember briefly looking at what she recalled was a bite mark in his flesh.

Without hesitation she reached forward to lift the bandages to take a look, but as her fingers neared his face his eyes slowly opened and immediately connected to hers, causing her hand to retract back to her chest as her heart raced.

"K-Kisa." He whispered as she slowly nodded and formed a small grin, still in disbelief that he managed to escape the Sound facility in one piece given her almost certain assumption that he was going to perish in that godforsaken place.

"I'm alright, I…" She began to reply as she watched him wince in pain, bringing her to once more focus on his neck. Reaching out for it again she waited for him to nod before gently sliding his open flak jacket down his shoulder a bit and lifting the bandage to reveal just what she remembered; thirty two sharp punctures in the shape of a human's bite.

Seeing that the wound had yet to stop bleeding the girl set his jacket to the side, moved herself infront of him and sat on her knees between his legs, doing her best to ignore the awkward feeling coming over her in order to render him aid. Placing her hand against his skin she began to carefully heal the rather ghoulish wound while at the same time looking around for any sign of Jun or Takao in an almost frantic fashion.

"What happened? Where is Jun and Takao?" She questioned as she looked back to Akito who in turn stared into her eyes for a second before looking down at her legs between his, afraid to answer her question in its entirety.

"Takao is t-trying to… ngg… find us fresh water a-and something to eat." He replied with a wince of pain, causing her to slow down the healing process to prevent hurting him any more. She had asked him where both of the boys were, not just one. Why was he not answering her?

Recalling a bit more of his return from going to help Jun, Kisa bit her lip. She could only remember seeing Akito emerge from the forest alone, bringing her to swallow nervously. He was sent to help Jun, so why hadn't he returned with him at his side?

Akito's neck wound was present when he set off to help Jun leading her to believe he did in fact battle against Saburo, causing her heart to sink and her stomach to knot up as tight as it could as he began to piece together his absence. Jun would have never allowed Akito to watch over her while she was unconscious regardless of the circumstances, and he certainly wouldn't have remained silent as this moment played out. But that could only mean one thing.

"Where is Jun?" She again questioned in a slightly sterner tone though Akito remained involuntarily silent, furthering the turmoil building inside of her to the point that tears began to form in her eyes.

"Tell me, Akito… you have to tell me." Kisa demanded through gnashing teeth as Akito's head lowered even further in an attempt to hide the shameful, saddened looked on his face, sending her over the edge of her anger as her hands began to tremble.

"T-Tell me!" She cried as her tears overflowed their banks and began to stream down her face, forcing Akito to close his own from the painful sound of her sobs.

"He… He's gone, Kisa. That man from t-the ramen shop… he killed him."

Hearing his answer the girl's breath stuttered. Dead? He couldn't be dead. This had to have been some sort of joke; some sick joke Jun, Takao and Akito had to be playing, or could she still be asleep and stuck in a horrible nightmare?

"He… n-no, he… he can't be dead, he…" She mumbled as her mind began to flash back to all of the time they had spent together as a team.

From the very first day of the academy through their time as genin and even now as chunin not a single day had gone by where she didn't have to sit and listen to his ego or he and Takao's banter. Not a single day. How could that just suddenly be over? How could he just be gone?

He may not have always been the easiest to get along with, but whenever they truly needed him he was more than happy to put aside his pride and help. He was the first person to come knocking on her door when her father was killed and the first to greet her upon her return to the academy. Together they grew strong and became the shinobi they were today. Was all of that really for nothing?

Succumbing to her emotions Kisa's hands slowly dropped to her side as she hung her head low and began to sob, desperately trying to stem the flow of tears running down her face while Akito listened in silence, reliving his own life through his tragedy.

He knew what it felt like to not only lose a partner but someone you trusted and cared about dearly, though he couldn't truly ever image how she must feel at this moment. From the way it sounded she, Takao and Jun had been together since the very beginning and likely spent ample amounts of time together. To her this was like losing a family member, and that too was something he understood too well.

Unsure what he could possibly do to help, Akito bit his lip in hesitation. When his family was taken from him there was one thing he sought more than sympathy or apologies, and that was comfort; comfort he never truly received, leading to a heavy weight on his mind that he still felt to this day.

This was something he didn't want her to experience and after only a few seconds more the boy reached out towards her and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, causing her to slowly lift her face up enough for her teary eyes to lock with his as her mind immediately flooded with a wild rush of emotions.

He was… comforting her? After everything they had put him through, after everything Jun had done, he was offering her some sort of condolence? This was odd, yet instead of questioning or even rejecting his attempt to comfort her Kisa carefully moved forward and buried her head in his shoulder, crying against his jacket as Akito gently rubbed her arms in a calming fashion. It was all he could do, and although he didn't know it, it was all she wanted.

No amount of condolences or sympathies were going to make this pain go away, and just having someone there to even attempt to calm her down and ease the agony in her chest was enough.

Crying for some time, Kisa remained buried in Akito's jacket until she finally felt as if she could cry no more, at which point she sat back on her knees and wiped her face as Akito's hands fell to his lap. It had been quite a while since she last cried for any reason and while this seemed to be an appropriate time to do so, it still felt odd. Crying, at least where she could be seen, showed weakness, and the last thing she wanted to be perceived as was weak.

"I'm sorry." She stated as she sniffled, bringing Akito to look at her before shaking his head.

"You don't n-need to apologize for being sad." He replied as she looked up, revealing her now bloodshot eyes from crying.

"It's just… this is all so fucked up. Everything is so wrong. Jun's gone and now we are… criminals." The girl replied as she recalled what Saburo said. He stated that the Mizukage and Kiri were aware of what had happened, as well as the other hidden villages as well. Lady Mei was smart. It wouldn't take her long to figure out what three shinobi had been sent to Getaru City near the Land of Fire's border with the Land of Sound, and the only real question would be what her course of action in response would be.

Feeling her anxiety rise as her heart began to race Kisa pulled her hands to her chest. They were going to be hunted for their crimes whether or not it was truly their fault, and while she knew they were much better off with Mei as Mizukage than if Yagura were still in charge the thought of being chased and possibly killed because of Saburo and his gang's trick was too much.

"What are we going to do? W-Where should we go? Saburo… he said he told them what we did somehow! T-They could k-kill us for this!" She exclaimed as tears once again rolled down her cheeks, bringing Akito to reach forward and gently pull her hands down to her lap in yet another attempt to comfort her.

"Nobody is going to kill you or Takao, I promise." He replied as his hands lingered on top of hers for a moment, bringing her to once again stare into his bruised eyes as the pressure inside of her slowly stopped rising. Why was he trying so hard to calm her down?

"How can you p-promise that? If we go back to Kiri and they r-refuse to listen, or if they find us guilty, they will kill us! We inadvertently violated the Mizukage's orders… we're no better than rogue ninja; no different than the Akatsuki!" She replied as Akito's thumb subconsciously rubbed the back of her hands.

"Because I… I'm not g-going to let them." He replied with a bit of hesitation, trying his best not to come off as cheesy flirt, though as he spoke Kisa's eyes widened in confusion rather than disgust. Wasn't going to let them? Was he saying he was promising to protect them? Why was he making promises to them instead of leaving? With Jun gone he was free. Why hadn't he just stood up and walked away?

Seeing that his words seemed to have caused her some sort of confusion, Akito looked down and cautiously pulled his hands away from hers as a small tinge of red began to shine through the bruises on his face.

Even if he was going to stick around with them a bit longer they couldn't afford to live off the grid if they were going to be being hunted, leading him to consider his options. They were afraid to return to Kirigakure in fear of persecution but at the same time he knew that they, or at least she, would never be willing to come to Iwagakure with him. This meant that they had to go somewhere else, likely a place they were strangers with little protection, though upon realizing where they were a sudden thought came to his head.

"Konohagakure." He stated all of a sudden, instantly causing Kisa to blink as the girl remained locked to Akito's face, regardless of his attempt to hide it.

"The Hidden Leaf? What about it?" She questioned as Akito looked back up at her and nodded, his head filling with the thoughts of what had been his home away from home for some time.

"That's where we'll go. Konoha has always been fair to me... regardless of where I was from, and I know for a fact that they have a habit of offering political refugees asylum, at least for a little while at least." He replied as he thought back about how many times the Tsuchikage had complained about Konoha's interference in Hidden Stone affairs by protecting those claiming asylum within its borders.

"From there you can negotiate with Kirigakure and explain to them what happened." He added as Kisa looked at him for a moment before looking down at their legs. She too had always been told Konoha was rather inviting, at least when compared to the other hidden villages, but would they really be willing become involved in Kiri's affairs for two shinobi they had not a single obligation to?

"I don't know, I mean… what makes you think they will help us?" Kisa immediately questioned as Akito shrugged.

"There might be tension still lingering between Konoha and Iwa, b-but I've got a bit of positive rapport with them." He replied as Kisa looked back up at him for a second, watching as a small smile slowly formed across his battered lips.

"Plus the Hokage k-kinda owes me a favor, and if anyone will have an idea of what… ngg... that thing on your neck i-is, it will be her." He added as he tried to straighten his back, causing his smile to fade as he grunted in pain while Kisa again looked over his body, though at his mention of her neck the memory of the snake biting her as she defended him returned.

Without delay Kisa reached up and placed her hand to the place where the snake had bitten her neck, almost immediately causing her to gasp as she felt that the site of the bite had become swollen while across her skin was a slightly raised symmetrical pattern that without a mirror she couldn't quite make out.

"I-Is this what you were talking about? W-What is it?" She questioned nervously as Akito's eyes centered on her.

"It's some kind of seal. I've never seen anything like it… neither has Takao. It's not words, it's a symbol." He replied, only furthering Kisa's worry and bringing her to swallow. Seals were more than just a means of sealing objects away. They could be used in a plethora of applications, including to generate chakra, poison or even control a person, and not knowing what this one did was not only a threat to herself but to Takao and Akito as well.

"What does i-it look like?" She questioned as she again locked eyes with the boy, causing him to stare briefly in confusion trying to think of the best way to describe it, though after a moment he slowly reached down to the ground between them and drew the snowflake design across the ground with his finger.

"This." The boy stated as he finished, causing Kisa to bite her lip. She too had never seen anything like it, leading her to grow even more fearful as to what it was and why Orochimaru had chosen to place it on her.

"I-I… what did h-he do that for? What does he want from me?" She questioned, bringing Akito to shake his head as he formed a small frown. He understood that whatever this thing was it was meant to be placed on his neck, not hers, and that the only reason she now was forced to bear that man's mark was because she was trying to protect him.

"I don't k-know, he was…" He replied as he looked away to again to avoid showing just how ashamed he was of what had happened, bringing Kisa to look at him as he did so.

"He w-was after me. I'm… I'm sorry..." He added as she stared at him, taking note to the remorse on his face for the snake having bitten her instead of him. He was right. The snake did seem to be initially interested in him rather than her.

But recalling the snake had brought back another memory as well; Akito's rush to help her, his catch as she fell and the look of worry on his face, the latter being the last thing she could recall before blacking out and now an image she had a hard time shaking from her head, causing her to reach up and turn his head back towards her gently.

"Don't." The girl instructed to protest his guilt as she shifted her right hand from the side of his face back to the wound on his neck, turning the boy's face a darker shade of red from the warmth of her hand on his skin.

"Don't apologize. If anything I… I should be the one apologizing." She replied as Akito looked up out of curiosity.

"Apologizing for… g-guah…" He grunted as she increased the amount of chakra flowing through her hand in an attempt to sanitize and close the wound to prevent infection, causing her to look back up at him.

"For… everything." She admitted as she bit her lip, trying to think of the words to say. Everything seemed to sum it up well although she knew that she would need to explain it at least a little better, pushing her out of her comfort zone of keeping everything locked inside.

"From the first time we saw you we treated you like shit. We beat you, belittled you, starved you… tied you to a railing and made you sleep outside in freezing temperatures. You told us you weren't Deidara… but we still held you prisoner." She began to explain as the thought back and everything they had done, slowly feeling the weight of her guilt building up on her shoulders.

"But yet… you didn't run when you had the chance. You stayed to help us. We… we didn't deserve that." Kisa added with a sniffle as Akito continued to watch her until he finally shook his head and looked down at the seal in the dirt between them.

"You didn't treat me that way. Jun did and… I don't blame him. He believed I was Deidara… that I could have killed him, or Takao or… you." He replied as he held in another sharp grunt of pain behind gnashing teeth, bringing him to reach up and place a hand on his abdomen.

His stomach was starting to hurt far worse than any of his other injuries, even his neck, leading him to acknowledge the fact that if Kisa wouldn't have healed him during their fight with the behemoth Togusa he would likely be in excruciating pain, if even still awake.

"Y-You don't need to apologize to me. Its o-okay." Akito added as Kisa took noticed to his hand. She wasn't able to fully heal his injured stomach earlier so chances were if he was forced to fight Saburo and he was struck again that he could have easily caused more damage to the already injured tissue.

Within a few seconds she finished sealing the wounds on his neck as best she could and turned her attention to his stomach, gently placing her hand on his shirt as she did so. Without him it seemed highly unlikely that they would have even made it this far let alone escaped the Hidden Sound facility with their lives.

He even stayed inside of that dreadful facility in an effort to not only save them, but ensure that she didn't have to. He was trying to protect her. They owed him this apology and yet he still believed it was okay. How could he think that how they had treated them was okay?

"It's really not though. You... risked spending the rest of your life in Orochimaru's grasp to protect us… to protect me." She replied with another sniffle as her hand again began to glow, slowly reducing the inflammation likely causing the majority of his pain and bringing Akito to swallow nervously. He was unable to tell if she was upset or thankful with this notion given her independent nature, causing him to speak once again.

"I didn't do it because I wanted an apology." He stated as he looked back down at the same symbol she had been eyeing and traced it subconsciously with his finger.

"I did it because… you are m-my friend." Akito added as Kisa's eyes lifted back to him with a bit of surprise, returning her thoughts to when she was pinned beneath the rubble of the Sound facility's floor. She had wondered then if he considered her a friend, and while she had come to the conclusion that he did well before now, it was still quite shocking to hear him say it.

Unsure what else to do or say and with a slight blush, Kisa slowly lifted her hands up and pushed Akito back against the tree gently in an almost playful, joking manner, causing the boy to wince in pain for a moment before curiously looking back up to her at the rather uncharacteristic gesture.

"Don't be stupid like that, especially not for me. You could have died." She replied as Akito slowly formed a small smile and watched her hands return to his stomach.

"I g-guess a 'thank you' is too much to ask for?" He joked as the girl's tear stained face looked up to him and formed a small, almost non-existent smile at his attempt to make her laugh before she again focused on healing his injuries and quickly changed the subject away from the rather unfamiliar territory they were heading into.

"How did you escape?" She questioned with a rogue sniffle as Akito grunted again in pain.

"I almost didn't, o-or at least I didn't intend to." The boy began as he recalled his fight with Daiju and his daring escape, bringing him to lean his head back against the tree.

"I managed to break through the m-metal floor and rigged the whole p-place to explode." He added as Kisa again looked at him in displeasure.

"A suicide attack? Why would you do that?" She asked in disagreement as he nodded.

"I wasn't going to let them take me f-for my kekkei genkai, nor was I going to let them come after you for yours. They tried to stop me but I detonated them before they could, collapsing the whole place in o-on i-itself and incidentally allowing me one chance to escape through the stone and dirt flowing in." He added as Kisa looked back down at his injuries and sighed.

"There you go being stupid again." She replied as Akito laughed under his breath and closed his eyes.

"Yeah well… my father a-always told me that was one of my abilities… being stupid." He responded, bringing Kisa to shake her head in amusement. It sure seemed as if he had a tendency to do stupid things, so she could understand where his father was coming from.

Yet, some of those stupid things were done with the purest of intentions including those done for her, causing her to slowly swallow her pride and admit what she had been thinking ever since he reappeared by her side.

"I'm... glad you made it." She whispered after a short silence as Akito opened and locked his eyes to the girl's captivating blue orbs, leaving the two to stare at one another for a moment before she pulled her hands away from his stomach.

When they left him underground he stated that if he didn't return she should accept his sacrifice as an apology for her father's death. Did his return mean that his sentiment was for nothing? It sure didn't feel that way. No, to her something was different. Akito was no longer just some Iwagakure shinobi, encountered by chance because of a mistaken identity. He was her friend, and she was glad he was around. Especially now.

"You should get some rest." Kisa added as she hesitantly moved a bit back from her close proximity to the boy, though the boy shook his head.

"I'm alright. I-I'm not tired." He protested, bringing Kisa to tilt her head in a sarcastic manner.

"Oh? So the heavy eyes and groggy speech is normal?" She teased lightheartedly as Akito looked down at her knees and laughed under his breath.

"Really, I'm fine, I can stay up." He again replied, bringing Kisa to stare at him. She could tell without a doubt that he was beyond exhausted, so why was he resisting going to sleep? Was he concerned that they may be in danger, or was it her?

Was he staying up with her just so that she wasn't alone? She knew that she had yet to fully come to terms with Jun's death but she was a big girl and could handle herself, even if she couldn't deny that his embrace was comforting, and if that were the case and he was indeed forcing himself to remain awake for her, she couldn't help but feel... grateful.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you when we have to walk all the way to Konoha tomorrow." She finally replied as once again Akito laughed and nodded in acknowledgement of the plan. They would be heading to the Hidden Leaf, and while that made him a bit anxious he knew it was in their best interest.

Looking back at the weak boy Kisa wiped away a lingering tear and cleared her throat. If he was actually stay up with her he would need to keep his mind occupied with something other than sleep just as he was trying to keep her thoughts off of Jun, leading her to speak up.

"So, out of curiosity, what is it that keeps you going back and forth between Iwagakure and Konoha?" She questioned as the boy looked back up at her.

"The Tsuchikage uses me to run information from time to time. Given my past in Konoha they tend to view me as almost welcome. Almost." He replied, bringing Kisa to think. From what she had seen of his fighting skills thus far it seemed like a waste to use him as a simple runner unless the information was rather important.

"Does that have something to do with this favor the Hokage owes you?" She responded as Akito immediately laughed under his breath and shook his head.

"No, that was… something else." He replied as he thought back to what she was asking, recalling it as if it was only yesterday.

"About four years ago the Tsuchikage allowed me to go out and search for Deidara on my own. M-My first attempt to do so following his defection." He began as he looked down at the kinjutsu in his hands. This was also his first mission with the same visibly grotesque tools his cousin utilized, causing the two mouths to serve as a reminder of his search.

"I ended up in this… horrible place called Tanzaku Quarters; a cesspool full of gambling and prostitution in the Land of Fire. Word had been received that he was attempting to obtain clients to sell his explosives to in the city, so I was sent to try and intercept him there."

"However, I ended up running into the Hokage and her assistant Shizune in a back alley instead. She wasn't Hokage back then obviously, but I'm not sure that would have mattered. They were in some kind of heated argument with a bunch of thugs from one of Tanzaku's gambling dens over money owed through gambling debt, and they certainly didn't seem like the type to take an IOU." He continued as Kisa scoffed and jokingly formed a raised-eyebrow scowl.

"Let me guess; you acted like the chivalrous knight and stepped in to save them?" The girl questioned as Akito formed his own exasperated expression.

"Well I w-was only fourteen back then, so yeah. I didn't know at the time who the women were so I moved to scare off the rather aggressive men. Long story short, me and her assistant were able to clear out the group though I lost Deidara's trail in the process. Shizune was… pissed that I intervened, but Tsunade was grateful nevertheless. It wasn't until I ran into the two in Konoha after her appointment as Hokage that I earned that favor though." Akito added as both he and Kisa looked up at a rather close bolt of lightning flashed overhead.

"And you are going to use that favor on us? Are you sure?" She questioned as Akito laughed once again, shook his head and slowly brought his eyes back to hers.

"Well, yeah. I've been saving it for a good reason… and that reason is you. A-And Takao." He replied with a bit of a hiccup, causing his face to darken and the girl lip's to curl into a small, amused smile at his slip.

"Seems you've lived quite an interesting life Akito Himaku. Far more interesting than mine." She replied as Akito tilted his head to the side in disbelief.

"I'm sure you've had your own share of adventures." He replied, bringing Kisa to shrug as he did so.

"I mean… not as interesting as being part of a foreign exchange program, meeting Jinchurikis or Kage's before their time." She responded as she thought back over her team's many adventures and assignments, many of which had been rather mild though there had been a few times where the mission didn't quite go as smoothly as planned.

"There was this one time… maybe, two years ago when we were sent up north to Yukigakure in the Land of Snow to deliver some modernized training material for the newly reformed Hidden Snow Ninja Academy." She started as Akito nodded, having heard of quite the changes going on across the Land of Snow in the last few years.

"Oh yeah? I heard it's r-really cold up there. Colder than even the Land of Earth's mountains." He questioned as he listened intently, bringing Kisa to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, it is. Hence the name 'Land of Snow'. I tried telling Takao and Jun that when we left, but neither of them listened, and I ended up being the only one who didn't end up nearly frostbitten by the time we made it to the village."

"But that's not even the best part. We ran into a blizzard on the way up there and Jun got lost. Me and Takao searched for nearly six hours for him before we were finally were forced to head to Yukigakure to find shelter."

"We were so worried, but when we got to the village and made out way to the main business office, lo and behold, there's Jun; his mouth watering over the Land of Snow's Daimyo, who just so happened to be his favorite movie actor, Koyuki Kazahana." Kisa explained, instantly making Akito laugh until it hurt and causing him grab his stomach as the girl herself laughed.

"It's not funny! I was so mad that I could have killed him right there in front of her, but luckily Takao was there to talk me out of it, and the worst part is that we had to listen to him brag about the stupid autograph she gave him for weeks." The girl added as Akito's laughter came to a stop and the boy shook his head.

"I'm sorry, It's just funny is all. I j-just didn't expect that." He replied as Kisa looked to him and smiled a tiny bit as she shook her head, though he smile quickly turned to a small frown.

"Yeah well that was Jun… unpredictable." Kisa responded as Akito sensed her mounting sadness and immediately struck up another topic, which in turn snowballed into several full blown conversations about nothing more small talk, all in an attempt to keep Kisa's mind off of Jun; an attempt that was working well until Akito suddenly stopped answering during a question about their favorite foods.

Having been staring down at the symbol between Akito's legs, Kisa looked up with the intent of gently jabbing the boy to force an answer from him should he have become distracted, though at the sight of him sleeping soundly against the tree a small smile formed across her lips and her urge subsided.

It was a nice try on his end, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he passed out, and without hesitation she reached forward, picked up his clan jacket and carefully draped it over him to keep him warm, just as he had done to her.

Taking a deep breath Kisa slowly shifted herself to the tree beside him to lean against it as well, watching the soft rise and fall of his chest from the corner of her eye.

This was so... bizarre. Two weeks ago she would have never so much as looked at a Stone ninja with anything other than disgust or hatred, let alone seek comfort from one, but yet comfort and solace was what she was finding now in Akito.

She had spent years trying her best to separate herself from needing to find these things from others, even from Takao and Jun, so why would she so instinctively find it in him? Why did she find herself forming some kind of connection to him?

Looking back to the fire as the logs shifted and collapsed, Kisa's mind shifted back to Jun; her story about their adventure in the Land of Snow fresh on her mind. What would he think if he knew she sought the boy's comfort after his death? Would he be furious, or would he understand? In the past few months it seemed that he would have given anything to be the one she turned to, regardless of his continued flirtation with other women. Was this a slap in his face?

Beginning to become overwhelmed with her thoughts, tears began to once again form in her eyes as she pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her knees and buried the lower part of her face before staring at the fire.

Without Jun they were no longer the dependable trio she had grown to count on and love. What would happen to them? Would they still go on missions, or would this break their spirit and force them into more mundane administrative roles? What if they couldn't get along or work well with a new partner, then what?

More important than that was the loss of one of her closest, most trusted friends. He was more than just some boy or even just some friend, he was part of her family, and to her what little family she had was more important than her own life. And now he was gone, leaving nobody other than Takao and her grandparents back in Kirigakure, which she now questioned if she would ever see again.

"Why? W-Why did this have to happen?" She softly asked with a sniffle as she slowly began to cry, trying her hardest to remain silent to keep from waking Akito up.

It still felt so wrong. This whole mission was a chance for Jun's dream to make their lives better become reality, but it never should have cost him his life. How could they continue on without him? How could they just move on past their friend?

After a few minutes of quietly crying to herself Kisa's attention shifted to the other side of the fire as she sensed a familiar presence, bringing her to form a small, relieved smile.

"Takao." She stated as he flickered into view carrying a small amount vegetables and some meat he had bought from a nearby farm and their now filled canteens, instantly catching his attention and causing him to set the items down as Kisa stood up and walked towards him out into the rain.

"Hey." The man replied softly as he came closer and immediately embraced his squad member in a gentle hug, bringing the two to look at one another in the eyes to express the mutual heartbreak between them. Despite his best efforts to seem cheerful Kisa knew he had been crying, causing her to cover her mouth to hide a sob.

"Is he really… gone?" She questioned in search of one final confirmation as she silently hoped Akito had been wrong, though as Takao slowly nodded she bit her lip and sniffled back what would have been a loud cry.

"Jun's… moved on." He replied as Kisa swallowed and nodded before Takao motioned to her previous spot sitting at Akito's side beneath the cover of the tree.

"C'mon, let's get back under the tree. We can talk there." He replied to which she agreed and did as instructed, turning and making her way back to her previous spot before sitting down beside the sleeping boy.

Following behind, Takao sat down at her side opposite of Akito and took a deep breath before looking over what he had been able to barter off of the farmer he so rudely woke from his sleep.

"I'm glad you are up, you've been out for quite a while. At least eight hours." He stated as he dug through his backpack to find a large iron pan to begin cooking them something to eat, even if the mood didn't really call for food. With how exhausted they were it was important for them to remain nourished, especially with the uncertain road ahead.

Hearing how long she had been asleep Kisa's eyes widened a bit. They had to take care of her that long?

"I'm sorry, I… this thing on my neck must have caused me to black out." She replied as she motioned for Takao to hand her the potato he held in his hand so that she could help out, though he shook his head in protest, knowing that she needed rest.

"I'd say that's a safe bet. Do you have any idea what it is? Is it hurting you?" He questioned next as he drew a small paring knife from his assortment of cooking tools and began to cut the potato up into small coins, leaving the skin on in favor of convenience.

"No Takao I'm fine, and I don't know to be honest... but Akito seems to think that the current Hokage might know something about it. He believes he can convince the Hidden Leaf to grant us temporary asylum until we can get all of this sorted out." Kisa replied as she wiped her watery eyes with a sniff and eyed up Takao's wounds, primarily those beneath his damaged flak jacket he had hastily bandaged with field dressings similar to the one that covered Akito's neck.

"Is that where we are going then? Konoha?" He questioned as Kisa slid a bit closer to him and placed her hand to his wound to begin healing it, bringing him to contest this as well though she stared at him long enough for him to back off.

"I… I think that might be our best bet, at least for now. We don't know what Saburo has done, and I don't want to walk straight into a trap… I can't lose anyone else." She said as Takao sighed and nodded in agreement. For all they knew Saburo could have told the village that they committed more than just an invasion of an Hidden Sound facility and the last thing he want to do was step right into their grave.

"If that's what you think we should do, I'm game." Takao replied as moved on to another potato and watched Akito sleeping on the other side of Kisa, bringing him to grin. He had given Akito the opportunity to sleep earlier in the evening, but the boy had declined in favor of allowing him to rest so that he could do so stating that he would take first watch, and even volunteered to remain awake so that he could go out and find something for them to eat.

"I'm assuming he's going to be coming with us then." He stated as he looked back down and picked a carrot to peel and cut up, causing Kisa to remember his promise to keep them safe as she slowly nodded and continued to heal the wound on his chest.

"Yes, he… he's going to stay with us, at least until we get there." She replied as Takao nodded and smiled a bit.

"I figured that he would be." He responded as he peaked at Kisa's face which had subconsciously formed a smile at her memory despite the worried look surrounding it, bringing him to chuckle as Kisa looked up at him with a bit of confusion.

"What are you laughing at Takao?" She questioned as he looked to her and shook his head, still harboring the same grin he had before.

"Ah, nothing. I just figured he wouldn't want to leave… _our_ side." He replied with a sarcastic tone, recalling his own view of how the two seemed to be rapidly developing a friendship between themselves. When she collapsed hours before Akito was the one who caught her and although he had offered to take her the boy refused despite being exhausted.

At first he assumed that this was because Akito felt he would be unable to adequately defend them if they were attacked or because of some sort of guilt over her condition, but he wasn't entirely convinced that there wasn't something else, especially since it seemed to be Kisa who he had taken a liking to speaking with.

Hearing Takao's answer, Kisa looked up at him with a slight tinge of annoyance before looking back towards Akito to once again focus on the painless, soft expression across his battered face as behind her Takao spoke up again.

"You were right all along Kisa. He really was who he said he was and in the long run he might be one of the only reasons we are still alive." The man stated as Kisa nodded and finished healing Takao's wounds before bringing her hand back to her heart, slowly thinking back on just how many times his intervention saved them from injury or even death, as well as how she had moved several times to protect him in return, while her eyes slowly looked over Akito's bandaged arms and thought about the scars beneath them.

She was unsure how they did things in Iwagakure but it wasn't common for squads to leave on missions without a medic present, mitigating injuries and providing emergency, possibly life saving support in the heat of battle. As long as they are not severe most wounds healed in a timely manner via medical ninjutsu had a tendency not to scar. Was this an indicator that he had spent most of his career as a shinobi alone?

"I think so too." She replied after a short period of silence, turning back to look at Takao as he poured water into his pan, placed it and the ingredients he had cut up overtop of the fire and then turned to begin working on dividing up the meat he had received into manageable pieces. There was something on her mind that she felt was best asked of Takao.

"Takao where… where is Jun?" She questioned, specifically omitting the word body from her sentence as Takao looked to her for a second and then back to the fire, trying to hide the grief lingering inside of attempt at a jolly demeanor.

"I buried him somewhere we could easily find again once all of this blows over. I made sure to seal him to prevent decay… just like he taught us." He replied as he thought about how he had found the body, including how Akito had respectfully closed his eyes and placed his forehead protector back on his forehead to preserve his dignity. He had never seen a body that had been mutilated in a method quite like Jun's, instantly causing him to take a vow to make sure Saburo and his gang paid for their crimes some day, no matter what.

Watching the pain her question brought him, Kisa reached up and placed a hand on Takao's shoulder in an effort to break his distraught stare into the fire, causing him to look back to her watery eyes as a small grin formed.

"Thank you Takao, I'm sure that was what he would have wanted." She said softly as Takao stared into her eyes for a second until nodding and returning to his task at hand.

"Don't thank me. I was just doing what I know he would do for one of us." He replied as he tossed the first handful of meat in his hands into the pot, repeating the process twice more until everything for his makeshift stew was in place, at which point he added some spices and herbs from his backpack and turned his attention to stirring it to prevent it from burning. Cooking had always been a sort of relief for him to turn to, so it felt only appropriate that he try and keep his mind occupied with something calming in such a rough moment.

With a deep breath Kisa leaned back against the tree and watched in a rather calm state as Takao cooked their humble meal, though beneath the surface her mind continued to race about anything and everything possible, including the seal on her neck. Not knowing what it was or what it did was driving her nuts and making it nearly impossible to relax, as was the the fact that she was helpless. All she could do was hope that the Hokage would not only let them stay, but that she would know something about what that horrible man had done to her, before it was too late.

After a while Takao finished his project and turned towards Kisa, handing her a bowl of the steaming stew with a small yawn.

"Here. It might not have the most exquisite flavor, but it's what we need." He stated with a small grin as Kisa accepted the bowl with open hands and nodded.

"I'm sure it tastes just fine, Takao. Thank you." She responded as Takao turned his attention to Akito who remained in the same position he had been since he fell asleep, his breath barely audible over the falling rain and roaring fire.

"What about Akito? Should we wake him up, or let him sleep? The food will stay warm for a few more hours, so either or is fine." He questioned, bringing Kisa to look back at Akito as well.

She knew that he was likely starving on top of being exhausted but she was unsure what he would prever, and with him currently asleep it seemed that the decision rested on her shoulders. Did she know what was really best for him?

"Let him rest a bit, he can eat when he wakes up. He needs some sleep." She stated in a calm, concerned tone as Takao nodded and slowly formed a grin, both at the smell of his makeshift stew as well as what was brewing on the tip of his tongue.

"Whatever you say boss. You're in charge now." The man stated, catching Kisa's eye as he did so. In charge? Was that what he thought?

"Who said I was in charge?" She questioned as Takao took a large slurp of his food and grinned wide.

"Well I certainly don't want to be. I'm more of a follower, and Akito… he's going to do whatever you want him to do. So, de facto, you're in charge." He replied, bringing Kisa to stare at him and then to Akito before looking back down at her food.

"Shut up, Takao."


	10. Chapter 10: Never-Ending

Tossing a large piece of iron to the side in anger, Togusa continued to sift through the large pit of debris left over from the collapse of the sound fortress in search of what they had originally come there for. It had been three days since their plan to use the squad from the Hidden Mist to weaken Orochimaru's defenses and although it they had only been searching for little over five hours, their task was proving fruitless save for the chance to test the integrity of his newly reattached right arm.

"I don't know Saburo, I think whatever was here is long gone. Either that damn Stone brat destroyed it or Orochimaru took it with him when he bailed on out of here." The man called out as he looked back over towards his comrade across the pit from him as he angrily kicked a crushed metal bookshelf out of his way, causing Saburo to scoff.

"No, we need to keep looking. It took us years to catch this tip. We can't give up." He protested as he caught sight of a book laying a few feet away from him between two pieces of rubble, which he immediately rushed towards and drew from the debris only to discard the book to the side at the discovery that it was empty.

As much as he absolutely hated the thought that what they so desperately sought might no longer be in their grasp, it seemed that most of what had been contained inside the facility was either taken away prior to its destruction or incinerated in the resulting collapse and inferno.

"I feel your frustration brother, I really do. But you can't draw blood from a stone. If it's not here, it's not here." The larger of the two brothers replied before casting his gaze to their female compatriot sitting on the rock ledge above the debris pit alone; the bruises across her face from her disciplinary beating visible from this distance despite her attempt to hide her face with her long sleeves.

"Am I right Miyuki?" He questioned with a boisterous laugh that caused the girl to look away from him and then to Saburo, whose unbandaged eye focused on her in disgust, leading her to remain silent in fear of receiving yet another harsh pummeling.

Following her retreat from the battlefield when forced to fight the tall, blonde, sword wielding mist ninja she had attempted to once again make an escape away from her two traveling companions, though it lasted only a few hours before Saburo managed to catch up to her, instantly taking his revenge in the process.

Seeing her turn her head away Saburo grimaced and turned back towards the pit he was standing in, scanning the debris rapidly with his good eye in anger. That bastard kid from the Hidden Stone. Not only had he taken his eye by pure luck, he destroyed what had taken years to possibly locate; the final piece of their clan's immortality ritual mystery.

"It has to be here… it fucking has to be here!" He growled as he again began to scavenge through the debris, bringing Togusa to place his hand son his hips and sigh in the distance. He too knew they were in a bind, but losing his mind over what he couldn't change certainly wasn't going to help.

"Come on Saburo, this can't be the only place we can find it. What about that guy we ran into a few months ago? The one with the weird mask. What about him?" He questioned as Saburo scoffed.

"That is supposed to be our fall back incase this place fell through, but-" Saburo began to retort before shifting his vision rapidly to a small mound in the debris as it lifted up on it's own and revealed a battered Daiju; his clothing ripped to shreds and his body scared, though it appeared that most of his injuries had already healed during his two days underground.

Standing to his feet as Saburo turned to face him Daiju looked around, immediately spotting Togusa and Miyuki in the distance before focusing his eyes on Saburo a few feet away from him.

"You… you're the man who tried to strike a deal with Orochimaru a few weeks ago. Saburo." He immediately stated as Saburo placed the palm of his hand on the hilt of his blade and stared at the man who, in his time underground, had reverted back to his normal, unactivated state.

"And?" The irritated man replied as Daiju's eyes narrowed on him, bringing him to slowly move towards him over the debris.

"You orchestrated all of this, didn't you? Lord Orochimaru denied your request and instead of being grateful and leaving with your lives, you decided to take matters into your own hands." Daiju questioned as his seal slowly began to activate and spread across his body as the man became angered at Saburo's presence. He didn't even need to answer his question as he already knew the answer, forcing Saburo to sprint forward and draw his blade from its sheath, though as he neared in on Orochimaru's henchman Daiju formed a large claw and grabbed the blade.

"You insolent scum!" He exclaimed as he yanked the blade out of Saburo's hands and tossed it towards Togusa who reached out and caught in his hand with little concern. He knew Saburo was more than capable of handling himself against this cursed seal freak, even in his injured state.

Sliding backwards to avoid Daiju's follow up swing, Saburo grunted in annoyance at the loss of his favorite tool and held his hand out to the right side of his body to gather his chakra into his palm, creating a screeching, chirping ball of electric energy.

"I don't need that sword. You are a fool." He calmly replied as Daiju transmuted his left arm into a shield and his right into a lance, watching as the yellow chakra in his right hand arced to the surrounding debris.

"I've seen this before, on Lord Orochimaru's pet. I'm not afraid of this, nor am I of you!" He exclaimed as he charged forward towards the cocky samurai wannabe and reared his lance back, though as he closed in on Saburo he found himself coming to a sudden, irreversible stop as his foot touched the ground, holding him against his will.

"W-What?!" The man questioned as his eyes darted around rapidly until they landed on his foot, finding that wrapped around his ankle was a dark glowing purple hand that had emerged from the ground.

However, instead of simply restraining his leg's movement the hand was able to control his whole body save for his eyes causing it to tremble, bringing him to look to Tongusa and then to Miyuki, the later of which held a single hand sign up to her dissatisfied face as her eyes emitted a bright yellow glow.

"W-What is this?!" Daiju added angrily as Saburo's slowly formed a grin.

"Good girl, Miyuki. I guess you learned from your mistakes." He stated as Saburo's eye shifted back to Daiju, displaying a bloodthirsty look of satisfaction.

"We call it Soul Drag; a powerful Yin Release technique of ancient origin. Once it makes contact it freezes and disables the nervous system, trapping a victim and keeping them from moving, attacking… anything." He explained as Daiju struggled to break free of the attack.

All of his strife was in vain however as moments later Saburo dashed forward and penetrated his hand through Daiju's chest and through to the other side, completely negating his armored skin and causing the man to gasp for air as his lungs filled with blood.

"Y-You… you…" Daiju gargled while his seal slowly retracted, revealing his pale skin and dark hair once again as the life slowly drained from his body, bringing Miyuki to release her hold on the man and allow him to collapse to the ground.

Watching his body hit the dirt, Saburo's eyes immediately returned to the base's remains before taking a deep breath and closing his eye.

"We are done here." He stated as Togusa walked towards him and handed him back his blade before looking down at Daiju's corpse.

"I told you so. What now?" He questioned as Saburo looked back towards Miyuki as she stood up and looked away in shame of using her abilities to kill yet another victim, though this only caused Saburo to grin.

As much as Miyuki hated to admit it she was a valuable asset to their cause, one that has kept her alive despite all of her object and rebellion over the years. She was the first Yin Release user they had located in decades, or at least the first who they were able capture and successfully adapt to their seemingly barbaric rituals.

Neither he nor Togusa were capable of utilizing Yin Release, and with many of their clan's most powerful secret techniques requiring the nature transformation it was important that the girl remain loyal and compliant.

"Let's head back to the mountain. We will plan our next move from there." He replied as he took his sword from Togusa's hand and replaced it into its sheath before making his way towards Miyuki to exit the pit, disgusted with the outcome of their adventure as a whole.

Having been traveling for almost three whole days Takao, Kisa and Akito were beginning to come close to Konoha with their goal not far from reach. If they continued on their pace they would be within the village's walls by nightfall, but rather than fill them with ease this fact instead brought on a heightened state of anxiety.

They were still unsure whether or not Akito's plan was going to work. There had been no prior communication with Konoha about their intent to seek asylum or even about their impending arrival, with the whole success of the plan hinging in just how good of a relationship with the village Akito truly had.

Watching Akito as he walked and chatted with Takao ahead of her, Kisa once again found herself staring at the back of the boy's head, deep in thought.

The notion that their fate was in the hands of someone who they had only known for a few weeks was something completely alien to her given the previously independent nature of not only their group but herself as well, and while she was terrified to know what would happen if Konoha turned them away she also trusted his judgment. If he believed that this would work she needed to as well.

However, with Jun's death and the events leading up to it still fresh on her mind believing that anything could ever work out from this point forward was hard. The piece of the world his absence had created could be felt at every moment of the day; the weight of it's grief and agony hammering away at her weakest moments.

Several times over the past few days she found herself crying, forcing her to do whatever was necessary to prevent Akito and Takao from seeing though it wasn't always possible to do so, leaving both of her friends concerned and causing the former to frequently check on her; another notion that weeks ago would have proved to be an insufferable annoyance but now seemed to be welcomed and even sought.

What was it about Akito that was so easily breaking down the hard, independent demeanor she had spent years building up? On more than one instant she found herself being forced to fight opening up further to him, though she was unsure why, or why she was fighting it so hard.

Was this because of Jun? She had no doubt the trauma of his death must have had something to do with it, but yet this was occurring even before they lost him. Why?

Still watching the boy Kisa's eyes widened a bit as he turned his head to check on her, causing the two of them to lock their vision together for a few seconds before she nodded to say that she was okay, at which point Akito smiled a bit and returned his attention to Takao.

Waiting until he turned around to form her own small grin Kisa's eyes lowered to his clan jacket tucked across the straps of Jun's backpack on his back as it blew gently in the mid-afternoon breeze. The first day and a half their journey was rather damp, so given the warm weather and calm wind that graced the day the three took the chance to dry their outermost layers, once again exposing the wraps that stretched all the way from his wrists to under the sleeves of his undershirt.

Although his jacket likely kept the bandages from becoming soaked she thought that with how much rain they had received he would have wanted to give his arms some fresh air but it seemed that he still held a lingering uneasy feeling when it came to his arms. Did the fear of people taking notice to his scars really drive him to hide them from the world at all times?

She could understand not wanting to be stared at however, especially now more than ever. She was already concerned about sticking out amongst the crowds in Konoha because of her clothing, but as she thought about Orochimaru's mark on her neck that anxiety grew as her frost colored hair was likely to lead eyes directly to her.

She had been dying her hair that color for some time now as a homage to her mother, who she never had the chance to meet. She, like her father, had been born with dark brown, almost black hair that was the exact opposite of her mother's naturally bleach blonde locks, and in changing that she had hoped to be a little closer with her, as silly as it sounded.

But now it seemed that connection did little more but automatically draw one's eye to the wretched seal on her skin and the last thing she wanted was for the people of Konoha to fear and resent her should they choose to grant her asylum.

Despite this worry Kisa found herself simply grateful that the seal had yet to activate or do anything other than cause her the occasional bit of pain in her neck. For all they knew the seal could have been some sort of control or paralysis device designed to immobilize her long enough for the madman's goons to come take her, prompting a new level of worry to come over her.

She would rather die than be taken to live underground and experimented on, bringing her to attempt to ask Akito and Takao several times to ensure that she wasn't taken by any means necessary, including killing her, though each time she found herself unable to utter the words as she would never want to put either of them through that.

"How much further do you think, Akito?" She questioned in an attempt to shake the thoughts overwhelming her conscience from her head, bringing both Takao and Akito to look back to her before looking back at the trail in front of them. He could see the mountains that surrounded Konoha's position in the distance and although he had never approached the village from this direction he could guess that they were close now.

"Maybe another hour and a half, closer to two. It's out there past that mountain range." He pointed off into the distance as Takao held his hand up to his eyes to block out the bright sunlight.

"That's not far at all. There's still a few hours of sunlight left, so I'd bet we will be there before dark." He added as Akito nodded and turned back towards Kisa with a small hint of concern before dropping back to her side.

"You okay?" The boy asked as she looked down from the mountains in the distance to his face with a small nod and smile.

"I'm alright, I was just curious. Maybe a bit anxious as well." She replied, bring Akito to look back in the direction of the Hidden Leaf.

"So am I. It's been a little over a year since I was back here… though I'm sure not too much has changed." He replied as he again focused on her eyes.

"The people of Konoha are good people. They will help you and Takao. I know they will." He added, bringing Kisa to nod once with a small grin.

"I trust your judgement, I just… really hope that is the case. The sooner we can get home the better, but I think taking it slow until we can figure this all out is the best thing we can do." Kisa replied as Akito agreed and looked back towards the path ahead, only to stop as Kisa spoke up again.

"What will you do when we get there? If Konoha lets us stay, I mean." The girl asked as Akito's smile slowly faded to blank expression. Was she asking if he was going to stay with them? If he had to be honest that was what his heart was telling him he should do, but at the same time his heart was stepping in loud and clear with a voice of it's own, reminding him of his duty to his village.

"I will stay in town for a few days… long enough to make sure everything is going to be alright. But after that I will have to go back to Iwa." He stated as Kisa stared at him, secretly holding her breath in protest. They had been traveling together for weeks now and even if well over half of that time was spent holding him prisoner she couldn't help but feel like separating ways, especially at a time like this, was wrong.

"And if they don't?" She asked as a direct follow up, causing Akito to tilt his head a bit to the side. The way she spoke made it seem like she was concerned, though he was unsure if it was because of the possibility of Konoha's rejection or his departure.

"Then I… I will come with you back to Kirigakure." He replied with a bit of hesitation, causing Kisa's eyes to widen and Takao to turn and look at him with a grin.

"Really now? Pretty bold move given the friction between our villages." Takao stated as Akito looked to each of them before focusing down on the road in thought.

"I saw Saburo's trick. I could act as first-hand proof that you, Kisa and Jun did nothing wrong." He replied before turning back to Kisa, unsure if that was the only reason why. Kisa was concerned that they could be imprisoned or even killed for their crime before they have the opportunity to clear their name, and that was something he wasn't going to allow to happen. If he didn't stick around until the end of this and something happened to the two of them, how could he live with himself knowing he could have helped stop it?

Akito didn't need to say anything for Kisa to know that even he thought that idea was risky for his own health, driving her understanding that he was doing this entirely for them in an effort to maintain his promise of keeping them safe.

"You would really do that for us?" She questioned as the remained staring at one another, bringing him to nod.

"I would need to let the Tsuchikage know but… yes. I would." He replied as his eyes drifted off of her towards the ground with a hint of embarrassment at how long they were staring at one another. When he set out to bring Deidara home he never thought this would be the outcome, but he wasn't going to just leave them to deal with it on their own, even if he was sure they could handle it.

Swallowing nervously as she watched him look down, Kisa stepped forward towards him, conflicted by her thoughts and emotions yet again. As much as she was hoping Konoha would step in to act as a mediator in this issue the thought that Akito could possible be around longer if they were forced to head back home was strangely relieving, once more causing her to question why she seemed to feel connected to him.

Opening her mouth to speak Kisa's eyes grew wide as on the road in front of them a group of seven suddenly appeared and were almost immediately identified as Hidden Mist Anbu by their attire, causing them to take a step back as Kisa's breath trembled behind her teeth.

"Damnit." She groaned as the group remained still spread out across the road in front of them to prevent them from passing. This was exactly the type of thing she was afraid of; Kiri's attempt to silence the problem they had caused before it grew any worse.

"Takao Moshi. Kisara Hakaru. I was hoping the information was wrong, but yet here you are." A male member of the group stated as he stepped forward, bringing Takao, who had remained in a rather leisurely pose given the fact that they were from their own village, to tilt his head.

"I know that voice. Raigetsu Hozuki?" He replied with a small grin as the man laughed behind his mask, bringing him to pull the half green, half white mask from his face to reveal his medium length, spiky brown hair.

"You always were good with voices, Takao." Raigetsu stated as he held the mask to his side and placed a hand on his hip, casting a momentary glance towards Akito as the boy stepped towards Kisa in a defensive manner before turning to the girl herself, who sighed a bit in relief at the discovery of a friendly face.

"Where is Jun and what the hell happened? Tell me you guys didn't willingly attack, and destroy, a Hidden Sound facility in direct violation of the Mizukage's orders." Raigetsu stated as Kisa shook her head and looked to Takao.

"Of course not. That informant we were sent to meet, a man named Saburo Naito, he set us up! He claimed we were going to be dealing with bandits from Takigakure in some underground hideout, but it was an Otogakure fortress." She snapped in anger while refraining from mentioning their fight with the leader of Otogakure himself, bringing Raigetsu to shake his head in disbelief.

"And Jun? Where is he?" He question, immediately bringing Takao to look away as he clenched his fists in anger.

"Dead. Saburo fucking killed him after the facility was destroyed in an accident." The blonde man added, causing Akito to groan to himself in disgust. He had been quietly dealing with the fact that his destruction of the base likely led to their fight and Jun's death for the past two days, but hearing Takao say it didn't make it any easier, even if neither Takao nor Kisa seemed to blame him.

Hearing news of his friend's death, Raigetsu's features softened a bit to a small frown as he looked down at the Anbu mask in his hands.

"That's too bad. Jun was a good man and he would have made an excellent instructor at the academy." He stated before again looking to the group with a heavy sigh.

"Lady Mei has ordered that you be detained and brought back to Kirigakure to figure this out, and if need be, for trial. I'm sure that you all understand that this is a matter of the village's security." He added as Takao looked to Kisa and then to Akito as the boy stepped forward and spoke up, trying his best to recall the little bits of diplomatic relations he had picked up over the years as Onoki's student while also excluding those he knew were entirely the old man's anger.

"Trial? They did nothing wrong. The whole thing was a deceptive trap, just like Kisa said." He stated as he came closer to Raigetsu and instantly caught his eye in the process.

"I'm not sure who you are Iwa, but I assure you that it is not me they will have to prove that fact to. Mind your own business." Raigetsu replied with a tinge of annoyance as he returned his attention to his fellow shinobi.

"I am requesting that you and Kisa come peacefully, Takao. Lady Mei had authorized us to eliminate your team should the absolute need arise. Please don't make it." The man continued before once again returning his cold eyes to Akito.

"And you will go your separate way." He added, causing Akito's blood to boil as Kisa's hand raised up to her chest to try and hold back the racing heart inside.

Go back to Kirigakure to face trial? They were so close to Konoha they could almost see it on horizon, and Akito; would they really force them to part ways? What about his plan, his promise? He was their friend and their key to proving their innocence in this whole disaster. How could they just leave him?!

"Aki..." She began, but as her voice left her lips something inside of her suddenly caused her breath to quiver and her hands to tremble as her heart continued to beat faster and faster.

In a matter of days her whole world had been flipped upside down. Jun was gone, everything she and Takao had ever worked for was hanging by a thread and now she would be forced to undergo trial for a crime they were tricked into committing; a crime so severe that the Mizukage told Raigetsu and his team to kill them if they must!

"No… no, this…" She whispered to herself as she began to break down with her eyes locked to Akito, who remained oblivious to her rising mental distress as he shook his head and continued to dispute Raigetsu's demands.

"If they have to go back to Kiri I'm coming with them. I saw the whole thing, I can prove it wasn't them. That's why we were on our way to Konoha, so that this whole thing could be handled through a neutral, unbiased party." He protested although once again Raigetsu stared him down and slowly developed a scowl across his face.

"You are not welcome in Kiri and interference in our affairs by you or Konoha is not appreciated. I can assure you that none of the men and women on my team are above killing a wayfaring Stone ninja for what you've done to our people, so consider this a gift and step back." Raigetsu said in an obvious threat as the other six Anbu members stepped towards him, bringing Takao to intervene.

"Akito it was a good try, but there's nothing we can do about it now." He stated as he reached out and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, though in anger and unwilling to give up Akito knocked it off and stepped even closer to Raigetsu.

He had remained calm up until this point even following Raigetsu's threat against him, but he certainly wasn't going to let Takao and Kisa be punished for something they didn't do, especially when he could help prove their innocence! He wasn't going to just back down!

"What's going to happen to them if for some reason they are found guilty, huh? What if she doesn't believe them? Then what, your just going to punish them anyway just like the Mist always has?!" He questioned rapidly with a snarl as he came nearly face to face with the Kiri operative, angering him to the point of action with his insolence.

In one move Raigetsu drew a senbon from his pouch and slashed it across Akito's left cheek to physically threaten him, causing him to yelp in pain and stagger backwards as Kisa's eyes widened and focused on Akito with an audible gasp.

"A-Akito." She grunted as the strange feeling that came over her became almost unbearable, causing her to drop to her knees and grab her head as she began to cry out in pain; the seal on her neck glowing bright for a moment before beginning to spread across her skin in branches similar to it's original snowflake design as all eyes landed on her, including Akito as he reached up to hold pressure on his superficial wound.

"Kisa!" He immediately stated as he took a knee by her side, watching helplessly as the seal spread across her neck and down her arms before encircling around her face, causing Akito to grunt in frustration amidst her continued scream.

"Kisa what's happening?!" He questioned as a dark purple aurora began to emit from around the girl's body, spiking her chakra levels and bringing Raigetsu's eyes to widen in both surprise and distrust.

"Whatever you are doing you need to stop it right now Kisara. I will not tolerate aggression, regardless of how long I've known you two." He stated as he took a step towards the girl and their Stone traveling companion, bringing Takao to hold a hand out in front of him to stop him.

"Wait Raigetsu. Whatever this is it isn't her fault. The leader of Otogakure marked her with some sort of seal." He warned as Raigetsu grunted in surprise and looked back towards the girl who had since stopped screaming in surprise, both at the fact that they had encountered the man known as Orochimaru and at the danger now growing in front of him.

Unlike the others he was privy to the details in the reports coming in about Otogakure's experiments. People taken against their will to be experimented upon, mutated and mutilated beyond recognition as well as dabbling into what the man called curse marks; illegal research conducted in the ways of juinjutsu.

"She's been marked by Orochimaru's curse. That's not good." Raigetsu replied as his eyes remained locked to Kisa and the boy on his knees beside her, who out of desperation placed both of his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to snap her out of the trance she was in.

"Kisa, look. Look at me." He pleaded over and over before managing to peel the girl's vision away from the ground before her, causing her eyes to snap to his with a sudden, eerie motion that brought him to visibly recoil.

"A-Akito." She said softly as the boy shook his head with a sigh of relief that she was at least talking despite the seal that had now spread across her whole body, though before he could reply her eyes focused on the laceration on his face and the blood that ran down from it.

Without hesitation the wide-eyed girl reached up, cupped his cheek with her hand and used her thumb to close the wound, causing the boy to stare in surprise before watching her turn her eyes to the man who had inflicted harm upon her friend, filling her with anger; anger she had never quite felt before. This man was threatening everything they had ever known and had hurt her friend. He was the enemy, they all were, and they had to go!

Standing to her feet as she continued to stare Raigetsu down Kisa's teeth began to gnash tightly together, causing the man to place his mask back on his face and reach up for the sword slung over his right shoulder.

"Don't do it Kisa." He warned as Kisa's hands began to glow with chakra in the shape of dual scalpels, bringing Akito's eyes to widen with concern as he stood up as well and reached out to grab her arm, though before he could do so the girl charged forward past Takao towards Raigetsu at lightning speed.

Flickering in front of the group of Anbu, Kisa let out a loud cry of anger as she swung both of her chakra blades towards the man in a whirlwind fashion, forcing him to evade and prepare to strike her down with his sword, though as slashed forward a bolt of ice shot from the ground and pinned his arm in place, leaving him defenseless.

Letting out a grunt of frustration, Raigetsu watched as Kisa's right hand reared back and prepared to pierce his throat before the girl was violently kicked away by one of his subordinates as they rushed to his aid.

"Kisa!" Akito exclaimed, rushing forward to assist the girl as she struck a tree only to be stopped by two of the Anbu who flickered between him and Takao.

"Stop right there boy. This is your final chance to run." A man stated behind his blue mask while the other, a kunoichi hidden by a yellow mask of similar design, drew her sword.

"Anything other than that will result in your death!" She added as Akito grunted, watching as two other Anbu operatives moved in the encircle Takao while the remaining three engaged in combat against Kisa.

Hearing the kunoichi's words Takao immediately looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with Akito who, even though Takao had not said a single word, could tell he was being instructed to run, though that was so far out of the question it wasn't even in the same realm of existence. There was absolutely no way he was going to leave them like this, especially with Kisa in this manic state.

"I don't think so!" He replied as he dropped the backpack he was carrying onto the ground, bringing the yellow-masked Anbu to scoff and step forward to cleave him in two, forcing the boy to parry the blade away and strike rapidly at the kunoichi's stomach; punching her twice before kneeing her as hard as he could away from him to focus on the man in the blue mask charging towards him.

"Just another Stone ninja's head to add to my wall then!" He exclaimed while tossing a handful of shuriken at Akito who narrowly dodged the attack and formed hand signs to summon a rock wall between him and the sword wielding kunoichi as she recovered.

Watching Akito's defiance and his now escalating struggle against his village's Anbu, Takao sighed.

"Well. I told him to run." He stated as his right hand sank down into his kunai holster and calmly drew a blade from the pouch, putting the two Anbu circling around him, red and orange on guard.

"Are you going to fight as well Takao? Are you insane?! This isn't helping prove your innocence!" One of them said with a hint of concern as Takao shook his head.

"How can I not? Kisa is more than just my squad mate, she's my sister." He replied as he raised the kunai towards his mouth and laughed.

"And Akito? He's not bad." He added as the two Anbu immediately converged on him to try and catch the upper hand on the preparing shinobi, though the second the two made their move Takao tossed the knife into his teeth and drew Senso from it's sheath on his back, instantly locking it to the two Anbu as they swung.

"He's also not the only one who could fight tooth and blade!" He scoffed with a grin before performing a whirlwind attack to knock the two and go on the offensive while being careful not to kill those who were attacking him. Even if they were their enemy now they still were of the same blood and allegiance and no good could come from killing them. If they truly hoped to be free they needed to escape their grasp with as little violence as possible.

Hearing her sword strike the stone wall in his place Akito's eyes immediately shifted to the man wearing the blue mask as he inhaled air and expelled a large water dragon towards him, forcing Akito to disappear into the ground to avoid a possibly fatal crush from the swift moving water.

Snicker beneath the mask the man immediately then lifted his hand in the air, charged it with electricity and smashed it into the ground to rapidly conduct his high voltage attack into the boy. However as he did so Akito suddenly emerged beside him and slammed his fist into the man's face, activating a rather limited blast of energy that knocked him directly to the ground in a harsh manner and forced his yellow compatriot to step in to defend him.

"An Explosive Release user!? There aren't supposed to be any of them left!" She question in frustration as she jumped between the boy and her friend while swiping the blade down towards him and forcing him to jump backwards to avoid the strike. Sliding to a stop Akito grunted in displeasure at her knowledge of his family's fatally diminished numbers as the man on the ground lifted himself back up onto his feet and readjusted his cracked mask.

"Well there is going to be one less when we get done here. Maybe this will finally make his wretched clan extinct." He added with a laugh as Akito gnashed his teeth together harder than he already was. He needed to break free from these two and get to Kisa before something else happened!

Charging forward as fast as he possibly could towards the snickering man, Akito again raised his fist to strike as he prepared a wad of clay in his hands. Because of their battle a few days earlier he had very little explosive clay remaining in his reserve, so whatever bit of he had needed to be rationed and used sparingly.

"Shut your mouth!" He exclaimed as he neared the man and willingly allowed the woman at his side to cut his body in two in order to replace himself with a clone which, much to her dismay, split into two separate forms and began to attack her as it slowly became two whole Akitos.

"We'll show you extinct!" Both clones shouted at once as they individually targeted the two Anbu members who in ignorance attempted to bisect the two clones, only to have their blades stuck inside of their glutinous bodies and giving Akito a chance to make a break for Kisa's side.

Charging once again towards Raigetsu as she froze the ground beneath both the pink and purple operatives to cause them to slide, the girl let out a hellish scream of fury fueled by the lingering fury inside.

"You bastard, leave us alone!" She cried as she dispelled the scalpel in her left hand and instead replaced it with a handful of ice shards, now more rugged and misshapen looking than her usual due to the curse mark's taint, before tossing them towards the man who parried them with his blade and charged towards the girl.

"You know I can't do that, Kisa! What had gotten into you?!" Raigetsu questioned as he attempted to use a swift-strike kenjutsu in order to cut her in half, though Kisa quickly drew two kunai from her pouch and blocked his strike before angrily kicking him in the stomach, causing him to stagger backwards as multiple ice spikes rose rapidly from the ground around him.

Evading the spikes as quickly as he could, Raigetsu somersaulted backwards onto a pillar of earth that he hastily brought forth from the ground, formed hand signs and inhaled as much air as he could before exhaling a great amount of water towards her as quickly as possible, tearing the ground up in the process.

However, just as the water was about to strike the girl to deal a massive amount of physical force the giant bullet froze into a giant teardrop of ice that, much to his surprise, the girl dove into and used to almost instantly transport herself towards him.

"Huh?!" He grunted as Kisa emerged from the tip of the bullet closest to him with her fist reared back to strike him, allowing him a closer look at the curse mark that had spread across her body. In that instant he could tell that this was indeed the same affliction Orochimaru had been placing on certain members of community, though most of his surprise lay in the curse itself.

From everything they had heard the application and implementation of the curse mark had a near ninety percent fatality rate amongst its users, so the fact that she was not only alive but also capable of using it in combat was both intriguing and unfortunate.

Grabbing Kisa's hand as she attempted to punch him in his face, Raigetsu's eyes widened as from below the girl's other fist emerged holding a large spear of ice which suddenly elongated and pierced him through the chest, though only after a second his body liquified into a malleable form and backed away from the blade, freeing her up for both pink and purple to strike.

Seeing the two coming towards her from both sides with their weapons drawn Kisa snarled in anger and forced herself backwards from the pillar before forming a large ice mirror behind her and disappearing into it, only to reappear through another mirror seconds later behind the man with the pink mask.

"Guah!" He exclaimed as he spun around to smash the mirror though he was too slow, resulting in Kisa grabbing ahold of his arm and dragging him into the mirror with her before once again forming another mirror in the distance from which she expelled the Anbu back out; both of his arms now broken badly enough to show obvious deformity.

Listening as her comrade cried out in excruciating pain as he impacted the ground the purple masked kunoichi quickly spun around and smashed her own trap mirror as it appeared behind her to prevent suffering the same fate, although much to her dismay another mirror opened up in front of her.

Acting quickly the kunoichi jumped back away from the opened portal and peppered the ice with shuriken and senbon to prevent Kisa from exiting, though instead a trail of ice spewed forth and quickly navigated across the ground towards the woman, freezing her feet to the ground and holding her in place long enough for Kisa to reappear behind her.

With a gasp of shock the purple Anbu spun to face the girl as fast as she could though it was not fast enough to prevent Kisa from taking advantage of her frozen position to rapidly strike her in the side with her fist several times, breaking her ribs in the process.

Screaming from her breaking bones the operative drew a kunai from her pouch and slashed the girl across the back as she ducked, though in her altered stated she barely felt the attack and instead spin-kicked the Anbu so hard that it not only broke her free from the ice but sent her flying off into a tree with enough force to cause her to black out.

Seeing the girl fly past him into the tree, Raigetsu grimaced in disgust behind his mask and huffed in annoyance. Branding a kekkei genkai user of this power with his seal must have been Orochimaru's plan all along and, if the reports were correct, it wouldn't be long before he came to claim her as his prize. They needed to end this fast and make for Kiri immediately, even if that meant taking back a corpse.

Standing up straight as Kisa's bloodthirsty eyes focused on him the leader of the Anbu unit took a deep breath and held the blade of the sword to his nose to balance himself to strike. With her curse mark driven rage he knew that he would have to resort to some of his more advanced techniques, many of which could prove deadly though he knew he was left with little choice given the situation.

"I'm sorry Kisa." He stated as his blade began to glow with chakra and his eyes narrowed on the cursed girl before him, bringing him to focus as he again charged towards the woman, intending to end their struggle within moments.

Locking Senso to both of his opponents blades once again, Takao shifted the weight on his heel and shoved both of the Anbu back before spinning the blade once over his head and slamming the it down into the ground between them with enough force to cause the stone below to split and the blade to become lodged, allowing him to jump up onto it's pommel and balance himself.

"Come on, is that all you've got?!" He questioned from behind the handle of the kunai in his mouth as he drew Heiwa from its scabbard and stared down the two steadfast, emotionless masks in front of him.

"You Anbu are supposed to be the best of the best; the most highly skilled shinobi our village has to offer, and yet you haven't even landed a scratch on me!" Takao again taunted with a laugh as both the red and orange operatives steadied their blade.

"We were going easy on you because you are our fellow shinobi, Takao! But that ends now!" The red taunted as Takao snickered.

"Yeah, okay. Put your money where your-" He began to taunt once more as both shinobi rushed him at once, bringing him to grin at the success of his trap and waiting for the two to come close to inhale a short breath of air between his teeth, which he then used to propel the kunai in his mouth towards the orange Anbu at great speed.

As expected the man parried the weapon away but what he hadn't realized was that a bomb tag had been tethered to the end, causing an explosion that knocked him off course and separated him from his partner, opening the man up to Takao's follow up attack.

"Aha!" He exclaimed as he dashed forward and locked blades back and forth with his masked foe until Takao slid his weapon all the way down to the crossguard, at which time he snagged the weapon, tore it away from it's wielder and grabbed the man's head with his free hand before headbutting him as hard as he could, disorienting him and causing him to stumble backwards.

Wasting no time Takao immediately reached out and grabbed Senso with his free hand and in one motion drew the blade out of the ground, swung it around behind him and struck the ninja in the side of the head with the dull edge of the weapon, instantly knocking him out cold.

With a grin Takao watched the Anbu fall to the ground before redirecting his focus on the orange mask rushing towards, bringing him to holster Senso and once more rely on agility rather than brute force as he somersaulted backwards to avoid the man's swing.

"Takao you bastard, you're going to regret that!" The man threatened as Takao grinned, drew another kunai from his holster and swung it around his finger before using both weapons to clash against his foe while simultaniously trying his best to catch a glimpse of his friends out of worry, only to gasp as he witnessed Kisa and Raigetsu charging at one another.

"Kisa!" He called out to her in concern as the two closed the gap between themselves only to have a large rock wall appear between them to keep one another, causing both of them to slide to a stop. Grunting in annoyance as Akito came to a stop beside her, Kisa's eyes immediately shot to the boy who without hesitation stepped in front of her to try and stop her attack.

"Kisa, Kisa stop!" He warned as she gnashed her teeth together and shook her head, trying to make light of the brain fog in her mind.

"Get out of the way Akito!" She screamed in anger as Akito immediately declined, though before he could speak the wall behind him suddenly split into pieces and collapsed into a flowing landside of water and stone.

Gasping in surprise Akito grabbed ahold of the girl and stepped backwards into the ground to sink below the point of impact, only to be immediately torn back out from the ground as their opponent summoned his own rock wall.

Separating the two and throwing them up in the air above his water flow Raigetsu dashed forward towards the boy interfering with his kill and prepared his sword to strike him down.

"You should have left while you had the chance!" He exclaimed as he swung the blade, causing Kisa's eyes to widen and her hands to grab the stone pillar to propel herself towards Raigetsu.

"NO!" She screamed as she rammed into the Anbu, knocking him back away from Akito and to the ground before diving down onto of him in an attempt to pierce him through with a spear made of ice.

Spotting the attack as he recoiled off of the ground Raigetsu rolled himself to the side to avoid the blow and swiftly thrusted his sword up at the girl. Dodging the blade by merely an inch as it passed by her chest, Kisa reached out to grab his mask to freeze the water in his head before being kicked backwards into the air by both of the man's feet.

Taking advantage of the brief distance caused by his act, the Anbu leader instantaneously began to form hand signs to deal his crippling blow though once again Akito intervened, this time using a massive wave of fire exhaled from his mouth to drive Raigetsu back.

However, as much as he tried to keep Kisa away from Raigetsu she continued to charge after him, bringing the boy to grunt as he watched her somersault to a stop on her feet and dash right back towards him, as if she was being compelled to do so by some outside force.

"Kisa, no!" Akito yelled as he once more rushed forward after her, watching the two clash back and forth for a second before Kisa punched the Anbu in the chest and formed a large ice crystal formation in his chest that pierced through his body, but just as it seemed she had won the man's body he suddenly liquified and shifted behind her while from a pouch he drew a kunai.

In surprise Kisa gasped and immediately turned, grabbed ahold of his arm and froze the liquid he had turned into in an effort to stop his attack, though it was too late, leaving her unable to do anything but cry out in pain as the knife pierced through her armor beneath her right breast and into her ribs.

Freezing his right arm enough to break it off just above the wrist, Kisa immediately shattered her ice and backed away from the screaming Anbu while from their side Akito landed and reared his fist back to strike, forcing the now one-handed man to quickly reform and move away as a rock wall again emerged form the ground to try and separate him from the two.

Finishing his wall Akito turned around and watched as Kisa collapsed to her knees and grabbed at the blade in her side, holding onto it's handle for a moment before yanking it from between two of her ribs with a loud cry and tossing it to the ground.

"Kisa!" He gasped as he knelt by her side, looked at the wound and then to the girl who much to his surprise was staring at him rather than treating what could prove to be a fatal injury, bringing Akito to place his hand over the wound to try and keep her from losing blood. She was trembling and her breath was both rapid and shallow. Did the blade pierce her lung?

"Heal yourself, I will-" The boy began to instruct with the intent of buying her time, but half way through his words her eyes widened with pain as she doubled over and let out a sharp scream that caused Akito to jump in surprise. She hadn't been screaming like this up until now, leading him to fear that something else was now at work.

Looking down at the kunai at her side the boy reached forward with the hand that wasn't holding pressure on Kisa's wounds to pick it up, taking a few seconds to examine the blade before grunting in anger. He could see that there were fine grooves cut across the weapon's edges which aside from Kisa's blood he assumed also contained traces of poison; something not uncommon for both Anbu or Kiri shinobi to utilize.

Still whimpering in pain Kisa's eyes focused on the blade as well, bringing her to grunt as she tried to fight the intense burning in her side as unbeknown to her the curse seal across her body began to retract, bringing with it some of her cognitive thought.

"I-It's poison." She muttered through the pain as blood began to run down her lip, bringing Akito to toss the blade to the side with a snarl as he took her hand with his and held it over her wound in a sort of forceful act that caused her eyes to lock back to his, though she could see that it was worry that was causing him to do so.

"A-Akito." She stated as she slowly began to heal her wound for a second before suddenly stopping and grunting through her teeth as the boy's eyes widened. He could see now that the seal was retracting back to it's point of origin on her neck, though he wasn't entirely sure if that was good or bad at this point in time given the fact that she continued to bleed profusely from her wound.

"Kisa." He said softly in an attempt to calm her as he placed his other hand on her shoulder before looking up to Raigetsu as he as well as both the yellow and blue masked operators appeared in a circle around them.

"So you are an Explosive Release user, huh? I should have known by that symbol on your lapel and flak jacket. How very rare." The leader immediately said with a small tinge of pain as he wrapped a bandage around his now absent right hand, prompting Akito to grunt in anger.

"What did you do to her?!" He immediately retorted without acknowledging his statement as Raigetsu looked at the injured girl who he could see was in obvious distress.

"I haven't done anything. Atleast, anything to do with her current affliction. My poison is a slow acting nerve agent designed to slowly yet steadily impede her movements. But this… this is some kind of reaction or side affect of that curse mark on her neck." He stated as Akito grunted and looked back down at Kisa who now seemed to be having a hard time staying awake.

"Well stop the poison at least! If she wasn't being paralyzed maybe-" He began to protest as Raigetsu finished wrapping his stump and held up his good hand out to silence him in his tracks.

"No. This has to be done and if it results in her death… so be it." He stated, again angering the boy as Kisa's eyes closed and the girl fell onto her side as he watched her drift out of consciousness.

"Kisa. Kisa!" He called frantically as he tightened his grip on her hand and turned his attention to Raigetsu.

"Y-You fucking bastard! She's from your village, one of your own! This whole thing is a mistake, a horrible accident that's not her fault... and you are just going to let her die for it!" Akito screamed as both blue and yellow prepared their weapons in front of them.

"You don't understand what it is that Orochimaru has done to her, do you? That thing, that curse mark, is going to consume her. It will rot her mind and turn her into a monster; something more dangerous than you could ever imagine." Raigetsu stated as the Anbu kunoichi beside him spoke up as well.

"We've run into several of his creations over the years. Men turned into freaks with malleable flesh they used as weapons, creatures that were barely alive but that yet still breathed. Anything that man touches turns to something from a nightmare." She added, furthering Akito's anger as his eyes looked back to Kisa in thought despite his boiling blood.

From their description it sounded almost like they were speaking about the men they encountered in Orochimaru's fortress. Could this curse mark really turn her into one of them? Was she really doomed as Raigetsu believed?

Swallowing nervously Akito's heart raced as his eyes lingered on Kisa's pained face, contemplating his options. At this rate it seemed that Kisa would die if she didn't receive immediate care; a thought that twisted both his stomach and heart into an painful knot. There was only one option left; they needed to make it to Konoha and fast. But how?

"I've been called a monster before. A freak. People feared me… still do." He stated as he dispelled the stone wall, revealing Takao in the distance as he continued to spar against his opponent and creating a distraction for him to reach back into his clay pouch, pulling from the very bottom the only piece of clay that remained before placing it in his free hand to knead with chakra.

After a moment he then carefully pulled both of their hands away from Kisa's wound and placed his other against it in their stead, causing the hand to cautiously release the clay it had infused into her side. This was not something he had used outside of practice before, being a technique intended for himself should he ever be severely injured in the field alone, causing him to concentrate as hard as he could to ensure it worked as intended.

"What are you doing?!" The man in the blue mask questioned as Raigetsu's eyes turned back from Takao to the boy with a single brow raised in curiosity, motioning for him to be silent. He hadn't noticed before but it appeared that the boy also held Iwagakure's abled kinjutsu as well, but unlike the only other person known to have it he didn't seem to be using it as a bomb factory; at least right now.

Controlling the clay's formation through his chakra, Akito expanded and formed the wad into a semi-porous substance inside of the cavity left behind by the blade in an attempt to slow or completely stop any major bleeding before severing the small trail of clay and revealing the solid clay cast that had attached itself to her skin.

Spotting Takao as he broke off his engagement and ran towards him after seeing Kisa on the ground, Akito stood up on his feet and turned his gaze towards the men threatening his friends' lives; his face muddled with a mix of frustration, worry and anger.

"You might be scared of her, but I'm not. She wasn't afraid of me… I won't be afraid of her." He admitted in a soft, almost disheartened tone before swiftly forming hand signs and causing two twenty foot rock golems to raise from the ground on either side of him, causing the Anbu to gather around their leader to protect him as Akito looked down at his hands, both of which were covered in Kisa's blood.

Clenching his fists as a heavy gust of wind brushed through the valley around them, Akito's eyes darted up to Raigetsu through his wildly flowing hair as he gnashed his teeth in anger and without warning darted forward towards his enemy with murderous intent.

"And I'm sure as hell not going to sit here and watch her die because of you!" He exclaimed as he flickered towards them with his golems in tow, determined to break out from their clutches.


	11. Chapter 11: Fight or Flight

Watching as the boy and his twin golems charged towards Raigetsu and his Anbu, Takao turned his attention to Kisa as he ran towards the fight, sliding to a stop by her side as he did so.

"Kisa." He called as he quickly looked over her body and then pressed his fingers to her neck to ensure she was alive, having been too worked up to sit and follow the rise and fall of her chest. He had been too involved in his fight to catch a good glance at what happened to her after whatever that thing on her neck was took over, but he could see that her injury was quite severe and, knowing the man who had injured her, had no doubt that she had been poisoned.

Careful not to disturbed the wound Takao quickly used his fingers to lift her clothing; his eyes widening in surprise at the presence of what he assumed was Akito's explosive clay now being used as a bleeding control device, causing him to turn back to the boy as he jumped over one of the Anbu's swords and charged towards their leader who remained steadfast.

Raigetsu was a member of Kiri's Hozuki clan and as such was a very dangerous shinobi, utilizing his unique techniques, excellence in kenjutsu and affinity to poison to become one of Kiri's top assassins. The fact that ethier Kisa or Akito were able to withstand him this long was quite the feat, though he assumed that in Kisa's case it was some sort of sympathy due to their status as fellow Kiri ninja; a status Akito did not share, putting him in grave danger.

"Everything will be alright Kisa, just sit tight." He said softly to the unconscious girl while keeping an eye on the orange Anbu operator he had been fighting who, much to his relief, seemed to be more interested in evacuating his three wounded comrades. Takao then took a deep breath and formed three separate water clones around him, all of which created water swords similar to Heiwa and prepared for battle.

"Defend her at all costs. I'm going to help our friend." He instructed before drawing the real Heiwa from its sheath and heading to assist Akito who by now had managed to tie up both the yellow and blue Kiri operators in order to make a break for Raigetsu.

"You son of a bitch!" The boy exclaimed as the one handed man drew his blade and blocked Akito's attempt to slash him across the face before parrying his knife to the side and attempting to strike him with his own weapon.

"You're fast, but not fast enough." Raigetsu replied calmly as Akito staggered backwards and knocked the blade to the side and grabbed Raigetsu's mask in an attempt to unleash an exploding palm, prompting Raigetsu to break free from the mask and step backwards to avoid a possibly fatal attack.

Grunting in annoyance the Anbu leader lifted his pointer finger off of his sword's grip and formed a finger gun from which he immediately fired a salvo of compressed water drops, hoping to catch him off guard; an attempt that failed as Akito dodged and went on the offensive, causing Raigetsu to begin running backwards while continuing to fire his gun.

Without his clay and with little other weaponry left Akito was completely reliant on ninjutsu and his kekkei genkai, most of which revolved around him being close, forcing him to try and close the distance as fast as he could before he could be struck by whatever it was that this man was firing from his fingers.

Zig-zagging back and forth to avoid Raigetsu's bullets, including wall running along a piece of stone he raised from the ground, Akito formed hand signs and launched himself high in the air while taking a deep breath and exhaling a massive, sweeping wave of fire down on his foe, who instantly raised a rock dome out of the ground to protect himself from being burnt to a crisp.

Immediately he began to counter and prepare his own attack, thought before he could finish orchestrating what seals he needed for his waterfall attack a third rock golem blasted out of the ground beneath him, smashing him through his dome and out into the air above as Akito dropped down towards him.

Grunting as he shifted to avoid being struck by the boy's fist, Raigetsu used his injured arm to elbow Akito's face before striking the boy in the stomach with his fist and attempting to decapite him, though the golem's hand reached up from below to block the strike, forcing Raigetsu to liquify to avoid being crushed.

Shifting backwards and materializing back on the ground, the leader formed the signs necessary to use his Great Waterfall technique and exhaled a massive vortex of water into the back of the third rock golem, causing it to crumble and fall to the ground as his eyes watched Akito sliding to a stop behind it.

"Onoki's rock golem technique as well. You really are quite an interesting opponent. I guess it is safe to assume you are one of the old man's students." He stated as Akito, unwilling to give him a second to breath, rushed forward again towards his opponent.

"That's the Tsuchikage to you!" He yelled as he swung his fist to strike, bringing Raigetsu to shift to the side to avoid the attack though instead of stumbling Akito slammed his fist to the ground, causing the stone and dirt below to upheave into an explosive eruption of earth that covered the area in a screen of debris, buying him time to recover.

However, as he prepared to launch another attack Raigetsu suddenly moved beneath him in the form of a fast moving flow of water and materialized at his feet while swelling his injured arm to a massive size, which he then used to smash into Akito's face, sending him flying through the air.

Smashing into the ground and rolling to a stop, Akito immediately looked up as Raigetsu again fired a volley of his compressed water bullets towards him, only to have the bullets strike the broad flat side of Senso as Takao tossed it in front of the boy to protect him and landed on his feet beside him.

"You alright there not-Deidara?" The blonde man questioned as Akito stood back up to his feet and looked over his shoulder to make sure that Kisa was not unattended before returning his attention to Takao.

"Yeah I'm fine, but we can't keep fighting this guy. Kisa-" He began to explain as Takao shook his head; his eyes narrowing on Raigetsu as the unamused Anbu as he scowled at Takao's continued defiance.

"He poisoned her. I already know and I agree that we need to get out of here quick. I wont lose Kisa too." He stated as from the corner of his eye he watched both the yellow and blue Anbu struggling to fend off the rather reluctant rock golems, though he knew that they would not keep them occupied forever.

"What's your plan?" He questioned as he returned his attention back to Raigetsu, bringing Akito to spit a mouthful of blood that had built up behind his lips from the man's strike onto the ground.

"We have to make it to Konoha. I would overwhelm them with clay clones, but I used what was left of my clay to try and help Kisa, so we will need to think of something else." The boy added as he looked to Raigetsu in thought, trying to come up with a plan.

Whatever ninjutsu this man was using allowed him to turn into a liquid form resistant to almost all damage and able to escape from the tightest situation, making it clear that he was the most dangerous of the group and solidifying his position as his main target, but how could he best deal with him? Kisa was able to freeze the moisture in his arm, but he couldn't conduct such abilities.

"I might be able to distract him long enough for you to grab Kisa and make a run for it." Akito suggested first, though the sudden shake of Takao's head made it clear that idea was not suitable in his eyes.

"I'm not leaving you here on your own. She was beside herself when we left you underground with Orochimaru's boys. She'll flip if she finds out I let you do it again, especially if you don't return from this one." He protested, causing Akito's eyes to widen with a bit of surprise. Beside herself? Was she really that upset?

Looking back over his shoulder at the two rock golems and their targets, Takao formed an idea.

"Are those things multipurpose?" He questioned as Akito snapped from his short thought, looked to see what he was referring to and nodded.

"Do you have an idea?" The boy replied as Takao smirked and nodded before stepping in closer to speak with his partner, causing Raigetsu to grow impatient.

"Enough whispering Takao. You've chosen your fate, now it's time to face it." He stated as he thrust his blade to the side, turned it to his preferred striking position and rushed forward towards the two, bringing Akito to step forward, conjure up a technique and slam his fist to the ground, instantly causing a massive landslide of dirt, mud and stone to emerge from the point of contact and rush towards the Anbu.

Unamused by such a trivial attempt to stop him, Raigetsu smirked and quickly turned his body into a stream of water that he then used to leap in and out of the landslide towards the group, negating the massive flow of earth thanks to his advanced chakra manipulation skills until he was able to emerge in front of the boy.

With a determined scowl he shot forth from the landslide and fired a volley of compressed water bullets at Takao before preparing to use one of signature kenjutsu assassinations techniques against the Stone ninja infront of him, though much to his dismay the boy suddenly disappeared into a puff of smoke.

With a grunt of irritation Raigetsu landed on his feet, locked his blade to Heiwa and raised his eyes to meet Takao's in disgust. Traitors in Kiri culture were the lowest of the low and by refusing to comply with the Mizukage Takao and Kisa now fell just above that category in his eyes.

"This has gone too far Takao, well past the point of no return." He stated as Takao huffed, drew a kunai from his pouch and whipped it towards Raigetsu, though he shot it away with ease with a water bullet expelled from his mouth.

"I told you we were innocent, Raigetsu. Akito tried to tell you as well. That's why he was so determined to come back with Kiri with us." The man replied as he broke his lock against Raigetsu's and swung to strike again, causing a shower of sparks to cover overtop of them both as their blades struck one another and their chakra clashed.

"I had orders to bring you back, not him, and in accordance to our laws you were to yield to my command and return home. But instead you chose to fight, and even if it isn't her fault Kisa is not only doomed but she is a threat; a threat that attacked me and took my arm." Raigetsu replied as Takao huffed.

"She wouldn't have lost control if you wouldn't have insisted on separating us from Akito, and I'm sure slicing his face open didn't help either." He responded, bringing Raigetsu to look past Takao towards his two active comrades as Akito reappeared beside one of his golems and began to attack with them.

"Bringing that boy into this is a treachery in itself. How could Kisa of all people allow that after what they did to her father? I knew Genta personally and I could tell you now that he is turning over in his grave." Raigetsu replied, angering Takao to the point where he struck the man in the face with a water bead shot from his mouth and feverishly lashed out on him with his weapon several times.

"Leave the dead be! I knew her father as well, and I know for a fact that if he could see what Akito has done to help his daughter, he would be far from restless!" He exclaimed as in the distance Akito's golems stepped up their attack in line with Takao's plan, doing their best to try and group both of the Anbu operative together.

"You bastard kid, you are just wasting your time!" The yellow kunoichi exclaimed as she attempted to behead Akito with an execution technique via her sword, though the boy's quick reactions caused him to duck and blast her back in the stomach with his Exploding Palm, which in turn opened him up for an opportunity attack from the blue Anbu.

Jumping up over the first Golem's fist as it smashed into the ground, the man of the two ran up the rock giant's arm past his head and pulled from his pouches to separate scrolls which he then unravelled and threw in the air above Akito.

"Eat this you little shit!" He exclaimed as he activated both of the scrolls and unleashed a massive barrage of kunai, senbon and shuriken down on the boy, causing Akito to evade for a second before forming a stone dome overtop of himself to prevent significant injury.

Expecting this the Anbu above let out a smirk as he tossed his sword down into the top of the rock dome, causing it to become lodged into the stone and face towards the sky. He then immediately formed several hand seals and touched down to the ground as from the sky a large lightning bolt descended, striking the sword and causing the dome to explode into a large flash of dirt and rock.

Instantly following the attack both golems ceased their movement and turned to look at the crater in the ground where their summoner had been before beginning to crumble, bringing the masked man to stand up straight and laugh as his yellow compatriot landed stopped beside him.

"Got him. I told you we would make them extinct." He chuckled as they looked at the smoldering ground and the man recovered his sword.

"Not as easily as I had hoped, though I guess we technically did." She added with a grin, though after only a second her grin disappeared as from the ground two halves of a rock dome quickly formed around the two, trapping them inside.

Angered that one of his strongest attacks had not killed the boy, the blue operative pierced his chakra blade through the stone to cut them a way out just as what remained of both rock golems fell down onto of the dome and fused into a large, stone conglomerate, reinforcing the dome and preventing his blade from breaking through.

Reappearing by Kisa's side moments later, Akito dropped to a knee as he quickly turned to see if his plan had worked before grinning to himself. It seemed that the combination of the dome and the golems was holding as he had hoped, but it wouldn't be long before the two escaped. He needed to hurry.

"It worked Takao." He stated with a pant to alert the man's water clones, causing them to disperse into thin air as Akito lifted Kisa up in his arms and adjusted her so that her head would be resting tucked into his chest and shoulder. Much to his relief it seemed that his lifesaving Clay Foam Injection had worked and that the girl was still breath albeit rather shallow, causing much of his worry about her to remain.

"Just hold on a little longer Kisa." He whispered as he stood back up to his feet and followed the next step in Takao's plan, heading towards the man as he once again struggled to come out victorious against his peer and village superior.

Grinding their swords together across the full length of their blades, Takao and Raigetsu both pushed off away from one another and formed hand signs to create sharp bursts of water that collided in mid air between them and forced them to attack another one again.

"Even with one hand I am able to hold you at bay, Takao! Why won't you just surrender already?!" Raigetsu exclaimed as he tossed his blade in between his teeth to temporarily allowed himself better aim with his Water Gun, firing multiple rounds at Takao before being forced to avoid Senso as his opponent threw it forward like a spear.

"Surrender went out the window when you poisoned Kisa! You might find it easy to abandon your friends but I certainly don't!" He exclaimed as he dashed forward towards the man, taking a bullet in the shoulder in order to possibly score a critical hit on Raigetsu, though the man shifted the sword in his mouth enough to block Takao's blade as it fell.

Disengaging away as Raigetsu aimed his water gun at his forehead, Takao somersaulted over the man and grabbed Senso to use it as a shield once more as his foe again tried to shoot him and replaced the sword in his mouth back to his hand.

"Friends that outlive their usefulness and only serve to bring you down are not friends and only a fool would believe so. You can't save her and she certainly isn't worth dying over, at least not now!" He taunted as he charged after Takao and swung his blade, colliding his steel to Takao's as the blonde boy snarled beneath his teeth and grasped Senso's handle tight.

"Yagura's finest!" He snapped as he slammed his broadsword into the ground with tremendous might before turning his attention to Heiwa. Holding up his free hand to charge with chakra he immediately swung the blade in a circular image around him, creating multiple traces of the blade in Raigetsu's eyes to confuse him before charging forward and swinging the blade down from the left into the man, forcing him to liquify at the touch of the blade's edge to avoid damage.

"Yagura made me strong, and that is what all Hidden Mist shinobi should strive to be!" He exclaimed as he brought himself together and parried Takao's real blade away before turning his attention to the Hidden Stone ninja landing behind Takao with Kisa in his arms.

"Takao we need to go!" The boy exclaimed as he appeared, instantly causing Raigetsu to grunt in annoyance and turn his attention to where his team had been fighting the boy's rock golems, only to find a pile of debris in their stead.

"What?!" He snarled as his eyes returned to Akito and Takao, the latter nodded in agreement with the boy's words as Raigetsu, determined not to let his targets escape, liquified both of his arms and prepared to take both of them down in what he had perfected as a stopgap measure of restraining prey.

"You two aren't going anywhere!" He exclaimed as both of his arms shot forward towards the two of them, but before they could be struck a second Takao emerged from the ground behind him and placed it's hand to his back; instantly ensnaring him within the spherical walls of a Water Prison.

Caught off guard, Raigetsu immediately recalled his hands back towards his chest as he watched the spinning ball of water around him, growling through his teeth in frustration. The water of a technique such as this was a rapidly moving entity charged with another person's chakra, making it difficult for him to effectively merge with or travel through the water without risking being torn apart on the molecular level as his chakra merged with Takao's, effectively trapping him inside.

There were few things that could contain a Hozuki within their walls and this was one of them, but how did he do it? How did he get behind him like that? Was it during his disorienting kenjutsu attack? Was he really fooled by something so simple?

"Takao!" Raigetsu snapped in a sharp tone as the real Takao pulled Senso from the ground, replaced it into its sheath and looked out towards the rock prison holding the other Anbu members while keeping Heiwa at the ready.

"This shadow clone will be able to hold him for some time, but if orange comes back he won't be able to fight long." He stated, ignoring Raigetsu's demand for an answer as Akito looked back at the rock as well and then down at Kisa.

"That rock won't hold those two forever ethier. Let's go." He added before setting off beside Takao for Konoha, leaving the infuriated Raigetsu trapped for now.

Knowing their lead was short both Akito and Takao rushed towards the Village Hidden in the Leaves as fast as they could, trying their best to take the fastest route through the mountains as possible. With Kisa's condition so severe and their own resources limited they couldn't afford to allow the group to catch up with them again, especially now that any tricks up their sleeve had been expended.

Looking over to Akito as the two ran side by side following a long leap from a tree Takao could see that he was uneasy with Kisa's condition, even more so than even himself. There was no denying that both he and Kisa had developed some kind of affinity for one another despite having known one another for only over a few weeks, though he was unsure exactly what each of them thought about the manner or just how deep it ran.

"She's a strong woman. She'll keep fighting until the bitter end." He stated as Akito's eyes shifted to him out of curiosity and then down at Kisa for a moment before returning to the trail ahead of them.

"I… I know she will." He stated as he bit the inside of his lip, trying to shake the negative thoughts rushing through his head. He was still unsure if it was the poison, her injury or the seal on her neck that had caused her to pass out, but the only worry that seemed to come to mind was whether or not she was going to wake up.

"We just have to hurry." The boy added as the two of them continued on their desperate journey, traveling as fast as their legs could carry them until spotting what was known as Hokage Rock on the horizon nearly a half hour later. This meant that while they were close they still had some distance to go despite their rapidly tiring bodies.

"I can see the monument... we are almost there!" Takao called out as the two of them closed in on a bridge crossing a small river ahead of them, bringing Akito to grin between his deep pants of exhaustion.

"F-Finally!" He replied with a hint of relief as he placed his first foot onto the wooden planks bridging the expanse over the rather powerful water below and shifted his eyes upstream at massive tidal wave of water heading straight towards them, bringing him to gasp and jump backwards to dry land as he did so.

"Takao!" He warned as the man did the same, jumping back off of the bridge with little time to spare as the wave smashed into the wooden structure and washed almost all of the bridge downstream.

Sliding to a stop besides Akito, Takao was immediately put on the defensive as from he treeline both the yellow and blue Anbu operatives emerged and struck first with thrown hand weapons followed shortly behind by their swords, both of which the man managed to parry away before locking himself in combat with the team once again.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as Akito, still holding Kisa in his arms, looked to his left and jumped to the side to narrowly avoid a thrown Fuma shuriken and immediately flipped over backwards to avoid a second thrown from another direction in an attempt to catch him off guard.

"You mother-" He snarled as he prepared to curse out Raigetsu who he knew was more than likely responsible for the attack before stopping at the man's sudden appearance beside him, forcing him to quickly lean his head back to avoid his blade as it slashed less than an inch above his nose.

Quickly recovering as he squatted down and spun his leg around in a sweeping motion to which Raigetsu avoided, the boy formed hand signs underneath of Kisa's body and drew in a breath of fresh air before exhaling a large blame ball at the man, driving him back enough to allow Takao to nearly bisect him by throwing Senso like his own Fuma shuriken.

However as the blade neared Raigetsu tossed his own sword back into his sheath and grabbed ahold of Senso's handle, redirecting it back towards Takao as both the yellow and blue Anbu reappeared by his side and moved in to attack.

Infuriated by Raigetsu's use of his own weapon against him Takao jumped to avoid the massive sword before using Heiwa to snag the looped pomel at the edge of the blade's grip and return it to his control.

"I believe this is… mine!" He exclaimed as he gripped both blades and spun around like a whirlwind to deflect and counter both Anbu at once while behind him Akito grunted in anger. They were able to make it close enough to Konoha to nearly see the lights in the city's streets and there was no way he was going to let them stop them now, especially with Kisa's life hanging in the balance.

Planting his feet to the ground Akito attempted to sprint towards the bridge in order to jump across the raging flow of water to escape with the hope that Takao would follow, but before he could do so the orange-masked Anbu appeared before him, formed hand seals and caused a water dragon to emerge from the river, causing him to once more dodge right into Raigetsu's clutches.

"It's over!" He exclaimed as he flickered to Akito's side and held all five fingers towards him on his free hand, rapidly firing a salvo of Water Bullets into the boy and Kisa as he screamed in pain for a moment before disappearing into a puff of smoke, revealing a log as he reappeared a short distance away; blood running from his back from where Raigetsu's attack had managed to strike before he could substitute.

"G-Guah…" He snarled through grinding teeth as his hands trembled, slowly lowering Kisa to the ground in the process. Whatever it was that allowed him to fire water bullets had struck him once in the shoulder and another time in his lower right back, piercing through his flak jacket into his flesh before disappearing to leave an open wound. These injuries did not appear to be fatal by themselves, but he had no doubt that if they were to strike the right internal organ it could kill him in minutes.

Looking over his shoulder as Raigetsu and the orange Anbu moved in closer to him, Akito knew he had to do something fast. They had made it clear that they no longer held interest in taking any of them alive so it seemed highly unlikely that he would be left to live much longer, making it imperative that whatever course of action he chose be something he truly believed would work.

Shaking off his injury the boy adjusted Kisa so that she would be on her back and slightly off of her injured side before carefully pulling a piece of his clay no bigger than a large marble from the Foam Injection keeping her alive and placing it into his hand. This close to Konoha there was no way the Kiri Anbu were operating lawfully there and he believed that if he could somehow raise Konoha's attention to their struggle they would receive the help they needed, but at the same he couldn't leave Takao, nor could he risk cutting his chakra in half by creating a typical shadow clone for an extended period of time, especially with how much chakra his kekkei genkai consumed.

Taking one last look at Kisa's painless face, Akito pressed clay-bearing hand to the ground for a second before standing back up on his feet and turning to face the two Anbu now only thirty feet or so away from him.

"It's a little late to beg for forgiveness, Iwa." The orange masked man stated as he balanced his weapon and stood steadily by his leader as Raigetsu continued to stare him down.

"He's right, there is no going back after all of this. If you wanted mercy you should have accepted our offer at the very beginning." The leader added, though instead of answering Akito dashed straight towards him and reared back his fist to strike, causing the orange Anbu to rush forward to meet him.

Swinging his sword in an uppercutting fashion after conjuring a sort of kenjutsu mirage with the blade the shinobi attempted to bisect Akito from between his legs up through his head, only to serve as a jumping point as the boy forced chakra into his left foot, placed it to the blade and rode his swing straight up in the air, much to the man's surprise.

"What the hell?!" He questioned out loud as his eyes shot back down to Kisa as another Akito appeared before her, bringing the man to gasp at the realization that the boy above him must have been a lifeless illusion used to distract him.

"A damn clone?! You'll have to do better than-" The man taunted as the Akito in front of him raised a stone wall between himself and the Anbu, bringing the man to look up in confusion as what he assumed was the mirage descended back down upon him.

With a huff of annoyance the man instead charged his sword with electrical current before darting forward towards the stone wall in an effort to spear it through and pierce the boy on the other side, though as he moved out of his position the boy above made contact with the ground behind, slamming his fist to the stone and causing it to explode with enough force to throw the Anbu headlong into the stone wall, knocking him out cold.

Standing up to his feet as the debris cleared the Akito who caused the explosion turned his attention to Raigetsu just as the man flickered forward and delivered his own blow, piercing the boy through the stomach with his sword and watching him disappear into a cloud of smoke as he stared forward at the rock wall in front of him.

"A Shadow Clone, no doubt. Leave it to Masaru to fall for that one." He stated as the real Akito listened from behind the rock wall, preparing his next option. Although his shadow clone was short lived it had fulfilled its purpose as a meanful distraction, leaving him with one adversary to contend with before returning what remained of it's chakra back to him.

This was important however as unlike the other Raigetsu wouldn't be as easily tricked and with his ninjutsu making it easy to escape harm he would have no choice but fight him tooth and nail without any kind of clues as to how to defeat him.

"Well Akito, what's your plan for me? Surely you've thought of something." Raigetsu taunted as Akito looked over towards Takao in the distance as he struggled to hold both of the man fighting him at bay, clearly burning his energy quicker than he could recover it. His plan had to work.

Minutes later and a distance away Konoha went about it's daily routine oblivious to the fighting taking place a few miles away. The streets of the village were alive with commerce from around the Land of Fire as well as those coming to the village for both work and pleasure, filling the air with sounds of amusement, conversation and at the village gates, yet another banter-filled and rather loud bout of ruckus from the village's gate guard shack brought on by the rambunctious pair of guards inside.

"Oh man, I can't believe Lady Tsunade think's we are… together." Kotetsu complained with a nervous gulp and a shiver as he hid his face in the desk in front of while to his side Izumo steamed; his arms crossed over his chest as he looked off in the distance to avoid an awkward eye contact with his longtime friend and partner.

"What did you think was going to happen when you do something like that, huh? High fives, hand shakes, fist bumps; there are a million ways to express that same sentiment, but no, you had to hold my hands." Izumo complained, bringing Kotetsu to slap both of his hands down on the desk in front of him in rejection of his statement.

"Are you kidding me, you are blaming me for this?!" He immediately replied before going off a tirade, completely oblivious to the fact that just outside of the village something was heading straight for them, hidden just below the surface of the pathway.

However, even in Izumo and Kotetsu's blind eye on the gate the swift moving object did not go undetected as from the trees a cloaked figure watched with keen eyes, having been alerted to the object's approach by one of Konoha's most prominent sensory shinobi.

"I see what you are talking about now, it's almost to the gates. Moving to intercept." The figured called on his radio before swiftly climbing further up onto the tree he was hiding in and diving up into the air just shy of the village's entrance, forming hand signs and causing the ground beneath the object to suddenly uproot, throwing what appeared to be a malformed human being up into the air.

Catching sight of both the ground's collapse and the object flying towards them both Izumo and Kotetsu jumped to their feet, just as the cloaked man, now revealed to be an unidentified Konoha Anbu operative, pierced the form through the chest with his sword, pinning it to the ground.

"What the hell?!" Izumo called out as the two jumped over the desk in front of them out into the street below, watching in surprise as the figure on the ground gripped the stone below him and lifted itself up to look up at them, causing Kotetsu to shiver at the grotesque sight. Half of the figure's face had been melted or broken away while it's body was full of malformations and air bubbles, and although the object appeared to be a man it was discolored past the point of easy recognition.

"Ick, what is that thing?!" Kotetsu questioned as the Anbu attempted to remove his sword from the clay humanoid to no avail, though after only a moment the creature formed a hold around the blade and allowed the sword to be retracted without a fight, surprising the man.

"It's a clone made out of what appears to be clay." He stated as the deformed boy's image turned his head towards him to speak.

"I've come for help, my friends and I are under attack!" The clone exclaimed frantically as the Anbu stepped back and allowed the severely deformed man to sit on his knees, keeping his sword at the ready as he did so.

As hard as it was to make out the form of the man casting this unusual clone technique he could see a faint resemblance to Iwagakure's symbol on what he assumed was a forehead protector around his neck, causing the Anbu to be leery. This clay matched the description of the substance used by the Akatsuki member from Iwa who had attacked Sunagakure a few weeks prior, though his physical appearance did not.

"And you came to Konoha why? What reason would we have to assist in this matter?" He questioned as the clone's only eye shifted up to the Anbu beside him in distress.

"My friends were involved in a horrible mistake and were… on their way here to seek asylum when we were attacked by Hidden Mist shinobi operating not far from here. They are going to kill us!" The clone replied, causing the operative to stare at the boy in silence for a moment before looking out towards the direction of his travel.

He cared little about what mistake he was speaking about or about the danger to their lives as getting involved with another village's affairs was something he held not intention of doing, but if what he was saying was true and the Hidden Mist was operating within the Land of Fire this close to Konoha without permission, this was certainly a Konoha issue.

"How far and how many?" The man question as Akito's clone shook its head and looked back to the ground, feeling his body beginning to crumble from the use of what bit of chakra he had been given as well as his distance away from the user.

"Four, not far... maybe a mile or two! You have to hurry!" It exclaimed as two more Leaf ninja appeared, likely having witnessed the smoke and bang from the Anbu's technique from Konoha's Jounin Standby Station in the heart of the village.

"What's going on?" A man with a short, dark spikey hair and a beard questioned, instantly snapping Kotetsu's attention to them as he pointed out to the clone on the ground.

"Asuma! This thing was coming for the gate before he stopped it. It said that there are Hidden Mist ninja attacking the real him and his friends about a mile up the road." He stated as Asuma's eyes widened a bit and focused on the Anbu standing in the center of the gate who, at the clay clone's collapse to the ground, sealed it within a small rock dome incase it exploded, which it did a few seconds, surprising both Kotetsu and Izumo while Asuma simply looked to his young student and then back to the Anbu in front of them.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" He questioned as the Anbu looked to him and then back up at the direction the clone had pointed.

"Not sure. I will consult with the Hokage about this." He stated as he looked back to the four ninja standing at he village gate, focusing on the youngest member of the Nara clan to Asuma's side for a moment before looking up to the Hokage's office as several more Konoha shinobi appeared behind them.

"In the meantime maybe you all should check it out. If what that clone said was true then Kiri is operating illegally within Konoha's direct proximity. More Anbu will meet you there." He instructed before flickering out of view to notify the Hokage, leaving Asuma to sigh as he pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket, placed it in his mouth and lit it with his lighter.

"Well Shikamaru, you feeling up to a little late afternoon excitement?" He questioned, bringing the boy to his left to run a hand through the back of his hair while he placed the other in his pocket and emitted a long, drawn out sigh.

"Why not. I was supposed to meet my parents for dinner but… that's such a drag. At least this will be interesting." The boy replied, causing Asuma to chuckle under his breath before leading Shikamaru and the others out of the gate towards the direction the Anbu had pointed, unsure of what exactly they would find.

Slamming into Raigetsu after parrying his blade away, Akito locked eyes with the man over his shoulder before lifting his elbow to strike him in the face, causing the Anbu to duck and rapidly strike the boy in the stomach instead.

"G-Guah!" He exclaimed as he was struck twice before he could counter by kneeing Raigetsu in the jaw and attempting to behead him with his Landmine Fist, though once more his foe ducked out to avoid being struck and created a short distance between them while lifting his finger up at the boy and flickering to his side.

"Over here!" He exclaimed as he fired a volley of water bullets towards him, forcing him to disappear into the ground to avoid the strike and reappear below Raigetsu; instantly grabbing his ankles and pulling him down to neck level in the dirt before reappearing on the surface.

Without hesitation the boy then immediately dashed forward towards the man's head and prepared his kekkei genkai to strike again, only to fail as Raigetsu liquified himself at the touch of his fist to his forehead, sprayed forth from the hole with Akito's explosion and travelled overtop of the boy to reappear behind him, just as he had done to Kisa.

Harboring a grin the man quickly grabbed his blade and swung it down across Akito's back as the boy flickered forward to avoid the attack, catching him with the tip of his sword as it slashed through his flak jacket across his clan symbol and into his flesh despite his absolute best efforts to avoid the slash.

Crying out in pain Akito spin around and formed multiple hand signs to summon another of his rock golems from the ground, though this time Raigetsu spotted the attack and charged towards the forming beast before using his chakra-charged blade to behead it, cancelling the attack before it even had time to form.

"I've had enough of you golems for one day!" He taunted as he slid to a stop on his feet and immediately went on the offensive against the boy yet again, swinging his weapon rapidly back and forth with the use of several different chakra based kenjutsu techniques, narrowly avoiding Akito's flesh several times as he attempted to evade.

Landing back on the ground after jumping in the air to avoid one of the man's whirlwind attacks Akito pivoted on his leg and quickly turned lifted his leg towards the sky in an attempt to windmill kick him on the top of the head, only to miss by meere inches and cause the ground to explode as his kekkei genkai released from his heel; a difficult explosive attack to pull off and one that he had hoped would have hit it's intended target.

"Dammit!" He exclaimed through his teeth out of frustration as both he and Raigetsu slid back away from one another, bringing the Anbu to laugh. His slowing reaction time and decreasing explosive power was evidence that he was finally beginning to tire, meaning that it would only be a matter of time before he was able to score another lucky strike on him, hopefully killing him and ending this fight.

Desiring a quick end more than anything, Raigetsu threw his blade straight towards his Hidden Stone foe and raised his five fingered Multi-Gun up towards him, firing a massive salvo of compressed water alongside his blade at the boy, only to have his weapon caught and his bullets stopped by Senso's broad blade as Takao jumped in to defend him.

Gasping at Takao's sudden appearance, Akito's eyes immediately looked over his body and the multiple lacerations across it, all of which were obvious results of his fight against the two Anbu operatives he had been challenging; both of which now fell in line behind Raigetsu.

"Are you alright Takao?" He immediately questioned as the man looked over his shoulder towards him a series of heavy pants and nodded his head.

"Y-Yeah, it's just a scratch." The man replied, though Akito knew that was not the case. At least two of the lacerations on his back were cut deeper than a simple flesh wound, as was one across his upper left arm, leading him to grunt in concern.

"The clone I sent to get help is gone, so he must have made it to the gates and delivered his message." The boy added as Takao looked down at Raigetsu's sword in his hand; his eyes focusing on the tip as something other than blood running down the length of the blade, bringing him to hold it out for Akito to observe with his own eyes.

"Let's hope so. Seems he's poisoned you as well." He stated as the boy's own eyes locked to the blade as he ground his teeth in anger. He had been purposely trying to avoid being poisoned by his attacks to ensure that he could continue to fight, but now with a burning sensation rapidly building in the open wound it seemed he too would eventually fall victim to Raigetsu's paralytic strand.

"Bastard!" Akito snapped as Raigetsu again laughed and held his hand forward towards the two in preparation to use his gun while to his side his team prepared their own weapons and ninjutsu, both of which seemed to have received their own wounds from their battle with Takao.

"You should have known that this resistance was going to end in failure, Takao. Your greatest asset in this fight was Kisa, and once you lost her it was all over, regardless of this Stone boy's intervention." He belittled as Akito tightened his fists.

"This fight isn't over yet. I won't let you take Kisa and Takao to face their death!" He exclaimed as he again dashed forward and using Takao as a jumping point leaped high in the air above the three hostiles to unleashed another bout of fire.

However as he jumped he could feel his body weakening, causing him to gain neither the height nor the speed necessary to avoid Raigetsu's water gun, resulting in him being struck several times across his body before the man flickered in front of him.

With a gasp Akito tried to counter the man's attack, succeeding in stopping his first two blows as well as kicking him back down to the earth below as the Anbu at his side jumped to assist him.

"Oh no you don't!" Takao exclaimed as he locked his blade to the blue-masked ninja with his left hand and prepared to do the same with Senso in his right, though the yellow kunoichi blocked his attempt and continued forward towards Akito, lashing out against him and deflecting her blade off of his forehead protector around his neck before pummeling him back down to the ground with a dual kick to his stomach.

"Akito!" Takao called as he locked blades with the blue masked man and slid back to defend Akito against Raigetsu's attempt to finish him off with a high pressure blast of water from his mouth, using Senso again as a shield as the boy rolled to a stop near Kisa.

Snarling as he desperately tried to stand back up on his feet despite his now trembling hands and rapidly distorting vision, Akito slammed his fist into the ground in fury. The poison was much faster acting than he had hoped and already he could feel his fingertips starting to go numb as it attacked his nervous system. Was this the same thing Kisa experienced?

"The poison is tearing through him much fast than it did Kisa; a testament to either Kisa's resilience or the power of Orochimaru's curse seal for sure. Though I must admit that I had quadruple the amount of poison on my katana's blade than I did on the kunai that brought her down, and judging by the wound on his back I would say it is safe to assume he received most of it." The Anbu leader stated almost as if he was proud of his plan, causing Takao to rush forward in anger at the group of three, slamming Senso into the ground to force them to scatter before swinging his sword at Raigetsu, only to redirect it backwards at the unsuspecting kunoichi behind him, lacerating the bridge over her nose before slamming both of his feet into Raigetsu's palm as he held back his kick.

In response Takao quickly pushed off and spun around like a whirlwind to parry both Anbu blades to the side before lashing out against each individually while behind him Akito stood to his feet after struggling to do so, picking up a mouthful of dirt with his palms and drawing a knife from his pouch before charging to help his friend and immediately catching the kunoichi's eye.

"Still standing, huh?!" She taunted as she swung her blade against the disoriented boy's kunai, though with some struggle he was able to hold her at bay.

"Y-You'll have to kill me if you want me to stop!" Akito exclaimed as he parried her blade to the side, shoulder rammed into her and slashed her across the chest with his kunai before witnessing the other Anbu dashing for him, to which he threw both handfuls of chakra infused dirt towards him and detonated it, causing a large flash and enough force to cause him to stagger.

Grunting in annoyance as he covered his face to protect his eyes the man gasped as Akito charged forward and pierced into his side with his kunai before grabbing ahold of his mask with his open hand to blow his head off, though before he could do so Raigetsu darted forward slugged the boy in the stomach hard enough to lift his feet off of the ground, knocking all of the wind from him.

Choking out a blood tainted weeze, Akito's eyes widened as the kunoichi exacted her revenge and kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the ground by Kisa's side one more as Takao swung his blade down on the woman to stop any further aggression, falling right into Raigetsu's trap.

Shifting into liquid form to bypass Takao as he locked his blade to the woman, the leader reappeared directly behind the man and used his injured arm to form a large bubble of water around his head, cutting off his air. In response Takao immediately redirected his blade to attack him, though as he did Raigetsu grabbed his wrist with his remaining hand and held his weapon at bay; staring him down as small air bubbles leaked from Takao's mouth.

"It didn't have to be this way, Takao. You made me choose this." He stated as the man dropped his blade out of frustration and grabbed ahold of Raigetsu's flak jacket, trying his absolute hardest to hold his breath while looking behind him at the Anbu operatives approaching Kisa and Akito; the later of which locked his eyes to the sight of his drowning friend as he continued to lie on his side gasping for air.

"Y-You…" He grunted in displeasure as he tried to pull himself together in order to stand up, though it became clear within seconds that his body had grown too weak for that, bringing him pull a kunai from his holster with trembling hands as the two continued to walked towards him and Kisa.

"A noble attempt kid, but it's over." The yellow said as she watched him back himself up further towards Kisa and hold the knife to his chest as a defensive manner, signifying that he was still intending to keep them from touching Kisa.

"N-No… i-it's not." He grunted as he lifted himself up to a sitting position with one hand despite his rapid pulse and shallow breathing, bringing the blue Anbu to laugh as he drew a handful of senbon from his pouch and held pressure on the wound the boy had inflicted on him moments before.

"Time to pay for what you've done!" He exclaimed as he reared back his hand to throw his weapons, bringing Akito to lock eyes with Takao for a moment in anticipation of the final blow, though before blue could strike several more shinobi flickered into sight in a large circle surrounding the group, though unlike their foes these man all wore green flak jackets over top of their blue uniforms, instantly signifying that they were from Konohagakure.

"What, Leaf ninja?!" The man in blue questioned as he backed up beside his yellow-masked companion and looked around them before turning their vision to Raigetsu, who looked around at the now seven Konoha shinobi as well while maintaining his Drowning Water Blob around Takao's head.

"Impossible." He stated with a tinge of anger as he thought back throughout their entire fight, trying to think of how it was possible that they could have alerted Konoha to their presence being nearly two miles away from the village.

"Well well, what do we have here? Four Hidden Mist shinobi operating waaaay too close to Konoha." Kotetsu called out to the group as he crossed his arms and stared down the man drowning his fellow Mist ninja, causing Izumo to smirk.

"Looks like only three from what I can see, given the fact that one of them seems to be taking a nap." The man added as Raigetsu groaned under his breath in annoyance. He knew that no matter what they were in the wrong due to their intrusion so far into the Land of Fire, but bringing these two back to face justice was a top priority, causing him to try and quickly think of any way he could get out of this mess victorious and still in one piece.

"I understand that this mission has drawn rather close to your village, but I assure you that this is a matter of Kiri's national security. We want no trouble with Konoha and if allowed to proceed will be done in a matter of seconds." He stated in reply as Takao continued to hold his breath, causing Akito to grunt in anger. This couldn't be happening, they couldn't let him do as he planned!

Opening his mouth Akito prepared to protest what was being put forward by their adversary, but before he could answer one of the Konoha shinobi, a man with a cigarette, spoke up.

"Kiri's security? Then why is there an Stone ninja laying there on the ground protecting one of your own?" He questioned as the boy in question started to shake, trying his best to keep his eyes open against the mounting exhaustion overtaking him.

"He attempted in interfere with our business, much like you all are now. Now I ask again-" Raigetsu began to plead once more though he immediately ceased his attempted as three additional shinobi appeared from thin air; each a Hidden Leaf Anbu that drew their swords and held them to their respective throats instantly.

"No, there is no asking." One of the men stated as he pressed the tip of his sword against the yellow-masked kunoichi's throat, lifting her head upwards as she swallowed nervously, bringing the man threatening Raigetsu, a Anbu with a distinctive bird-shaped mask and tan trench coat, to speak up.

"You will cease this operation and hostility immediately. This is a Konoha matter now, by order of the Hokage. If what you say is true then you will have the right to petition her yourself at a later time, but for now this hunt is over." The man ordered as Raigetsu's view shifted to the dark holes in his mask where his eyes should be and lingered there for a moment before releasing the bubble around Takao's head, causing him to drop to his knees and gasp for air.

"Very well. But you can expect to hear from us soon. This is a Kiri matter and I have no doubt that with the right evidence and persuasion your Kage will see it as such." He stated as he stepped back away from Takao and lifted his hand to order his two subordinates to retreat after retrieving their unconscious team member, only to be stopped as Takao reached his hand in the air to stop him.

"Wait." He ordered as he stood up onto his feet, pulled the strands of his now soaked hair away from his equally drenched face to see his opponent clearly and locked his vision once again to the man who moments ago had tried to drown him before taking a deep breath to calm his words.

"In the land of sound, not far from the Otogakure base, there was a campsite we used for the night. Did you find it?" He questioned the man who, although a bit surprised, nodded.

"What about it?" He questioned as Takao looked over at a faltering Akito as he continued to hold his defensive stance in front of Kisa.

"Directly to the South of that campsite, maybe a hundred yards or so, there is a large oak tree by the side of a small creek. That's where you will find Jun." The man stated as Raigetsu's stern expression slowly softened to that of a blank stare as the mention of the boy's name brought back memories of watching him grow up, both as a student at the academy a few years after him and as a fellow shinobi, though after a moment he simply nodded and turned to walk away.

"I will make sure he gets back to his family." He stated as his eyes shifted over his shoulder to Akito and Kisa, then back to the bird-mask Anbu beside him.

"I'll be seeing you all soon." Raigetsu added before swiftly disappearing from view with his fellow hunter nin, leaving Takao surrounded by Konoha ninja who all now stared at him as he huffed and wiped the water from his forehead.

"Well that was close." He stated with a bit of a chuckle despite the rather stern looks he was receiving from all of the men around him, though most of this attention shifted away from him towards Akito as the boy's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed onto his back; his head landed on Kisa's lap as he let out a small, pain stricken gasp.

"Shit!" Takao exclaimed as he moved to run to his side only to stop as the bird-masked Anbu held his sword out to keep him still for a moment before allowing him to continue, which he did with no hesitation and slid to his friends side.

"Akito. Come on dude, wake up." He stated as he shook him gently, though after but a second or two he stopped and sighed. He knew that he had been holding out against Raigetsu's poison until he knew they were safe, so it only made sense that once the Konoha ninja showed up his body would finally give in, though he now had two friends to worry over.

Reaching over and checking both of their necks to ensure they were indeed still alive Takao turned his head towards one of the Anbu as they and several of the others walked towards him, the former of which knelt by his side and felt their pulses as well.

"What happened?" A female with purple hair questioned from behind the mask, bringing Takao to shake his head.

"To them? Poison. In general? It's a long story." He replied as the Anbu gently turned to girl's head to the side at the sight of something strange and immediately looked up at the bird-masked captain upon the discovery of the curse seal on her skin, bringing the man to look at both Kisa and Akito before returning his attention to Takao.

"You'll have plenty of time to explain it to the Hokage as recompense for our assistance." He stated as both Izumo and Kotetsu walked up to the three beside Asuma and Shikamaru, immediately catching Izumo's attention as his eyes shifted onto the unconscious Stone ninja infront of him.

"Wait a minute, I know him. Isn't that the kid that comes into town once in a while from Iwa?" He immediately questioned as Kotetsu held his hand over his eyes to block out the sun and looked down at Akito as well with a nod.

"Yeah that's him alright, the kid from the exchange program. What the hell is he doing here?" The man questioned, turning his attention back to Takao who looked up at all of them and nervously waved his hands in front of him.

"That's a long story as well."


	12. Chapter 12: Merciful Leaf

Slowly opening his eyes to the bright sight of mid afternoon sunlight flooding the room around him, Akito let out a small grunt of pain as the feeling in his wounds slowly became reality once again. Reaching around to his back it appeared that the large wound from Raigetsu's sword had been treated and bandaged, though by who he did not know, prompting him to look around the room in caution.

He appeared to be laying on a couch which, given the rather cozy and domestic atmosphere around him, instantly ruled out being in Konoha's hospital despite not answer his question as to where he was.

Carefully sitting up on his elbows while letting out a small grunt of pain as his wounds stretched, Akito's eyes shot to a large picture of Konoha on the wall across from him above a large television though before he could observe more he felt someone's presence, redirecting his attention instantly to the back of the couch above him as a woman with short black hair wearing a dark colored kimono stood above him.

"Well look who finally decided to wake up after nearly two days. Did you enjoy your nap?" The woman questioned as Akito's blur vision focused on her face, bringing him to form a small grin at the realization of who exactly was speaking to him.

"S-Shizune." He stated with a raspy throat as he lifted himself even further up into a sitting position despite the discomfort before looking around the room once more with a small hint of relief. Wherever he was it was most certainly inside of Konoha's walls, reassuring him that his mission to get them to Konoha had somehow succeeded after his collapse.

"Where am I, where... " The boy began to ask once more before focusing down on his body with a hint of surprise. He appeared to be wearing the default navy blue pants and t-shirt synonymous with Konoha's military forces while his feet and arms remain bare, exposing the old scars and fresh bruised across most of skin save for where fresh bandages were wrapped around his wounds on his arms.

"Where are my clothes?" He questioned as another voice pierced through the groggy veil around him, although this was a voice he couldn't mistake.

"Did you really expect me to let you lay around on my brand new furniture covered in blood and dirt?" The voice questioned as Akito immediately shifted to his side and, in lieu of standing due to the weakness lingering over his legs, took a knee at the side of the couch as Konoha's Fifth Hokage entered the room from the adjacent kitchen.

"Lady Tsunade." He stated as he looked down to the floor in a sign of respect though almost immediately Tsunade motioned for him to stand as she shook her head.

"Alright there is no need for that. Must I really tell you that every single time you come here?" She questioned as the boy laughed under his breath and attempted to stand before taking a seat on the couch instead as he remained unable to stand up without shaking.

"I'm sorry, it's just force of habit." The boy replied as the Hokage walked forward and sat in a single chair adjacent to the couch he had been resting on and crossed her legs while bringing a closed fist up to her cheek to rest her head on.

"I should have known that the strange Stone ninja who showed up at our gates was you, though I certainly didn't expect your rather interesting friends." She stated as Akito lifted his vision from his trembling legs up to her large brown eyes at the mention of his friends, instantly bringing him to look around the room again.

"My friends, where are they? Kisa-" He immediately questioned as Tsunade held her hand out to calm his almost panicked questioning, fearful that he could tear the sealed wound on his back wide open.

"Whoa now, calm down kid. The two Mist ninja your brought with you are fine, though you are both lucky you got here when you did as both of you were suffering from a rather potent strand of Neurotoxin." She stated as Shizune, now leaning on the back of the couch Akito was sitting on, shrugged.

"Potent but simplistic, really. Whoever it was that poisoned you favored direct effect rather than something that was intended to kill before it could be cured, likely planned to be used in conjunction with other techniques for direct assassinations." She stated as Akito looked up at her and then down at his scarred arms, both of which sat facing palms-up on his legs. Kisa was alright? Takao as well?

"That's… great news, Lady Tsunade. I… I was worried that she wouldn't survive." He admitted with both a hint of relief as well as great concern, causing Tsunade to raise a brow out in curiosity. She had known him for a bit over four years now, during which time she could not actively recall seeing him this worked up about something.

"Well you are more than likely to thank for her survival. Your clay was what slowed the bleeding enough to ensure she made it to us still breathing." Tsunade replied as Akito nodded slowly with his eyes fixated on the floor, deep in thought. Did she really come that close to death? If he hadn't been there, would she have died?

"Those bastards, they… they didn't even care that she was one of their own. They…" He muttered under his breath as Tsunade stared at him and let out a small sigh.

"They are Anbu, Akito. They were doing what their Kage told them to do… the same thing I would have expected from my own Anbu, though I have to admit I would expect them to at least show a little restraint given the situation." She stated as Akito remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Did Takao tell you what happened?" He questioned, to which Tsunade nodded as she lifted her head to observe a wild flock of birds passing through the sunshine outside her balcony window.

"He did. He also said that you were the proof that they are innocent. So…?" The Hokage questioned, bringing Akito to look up at her and without hesitation nod his head.

"They are. They were tricked into committing the crimes they are being accused of, but when I tried to explain that to Raigetsu, Kisa…" He began to answer before pausing at the memory of Kisa's outburst because of the curse mark, as well as her cries of pain and the scared expression she looked at him with as she blacked out, causing him to subconsciously continue his worried look.

"Kisa's curse seal broke out. Yeah, he told us that part too." Shizune finished for him, causing the boy to look up at her and then back to Tsunade.

"I… I want to see her. And Takao." He stated as Tsunade turned her attention back to the boy.

"That's fine, but are you sure you are up to it? A minute ago you could barely stand and I have no intention to carry you. You've been asleep for almost two days, your body-" She began to say as Akito cautiously stood up on to his feet and tried not to wobble or stagger; his desperation to see his friends bringing the Hokage to grin as she leaned forward, placed her elbows on her knees and held her chin with her hands.

"I guess that answers that." She joked as Akito focused on her and then back down at the clothes he was wearing once again.

"Who… who changed me. Was it you, Lady Tsunade?" He questioned as the Hokage looked up to him with a blink and a small smile.

"Oh no, no. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that." She stated before immediately pointing over towards Shizune, whose face immediately turned a dark shade of red.

"Shizune did." She stated, bringing the woman's jaw to drop in silence as Akito's face darkened as well, bringing him to lower his head a bit in an effort to hide his appearance.

"Oh that's… worse.." He stated out of embarrassment as Shizune's flustered look quickly turned into one of annoyance, bringing her to lean over the couch with one of her hands raised to slap him.

"What?! What's worse about that you little smart ass?!" She yelled, prompting Akito to raise his arms to defend his face and causing Tsunade to laugh as across the room Takao emerged from a closed door and immediately focused on Akito, causing the group to go silent as he spoke out.

"Akito." He stated as he stepped towards his battle brother and grinned, bringing Akito to carefully walk towards him while using the chair Tsunade was sitting in as a sort of crutch until he stood directly before him who, much like him, was wearing loaner Konoha clothing; his arms covered in bandages from his wounds, including his neck.

"You alright?" He questioned, to which the boy slowly nodded before being picked up by the man's massive arms in a manly hug, causing him to grunt from the pain in his back.

"I-I'm glad to s-see you too, Takao." He groaned as the two kunoichi in the room laughed, bringing Takao to set him back down on his feet and pat his shoulder.

"I was beginning to wonder if either of you were ever going to wake up. Do you know how awkward it's been just hanging around someone else's house?" He stated as Akito pushed his spine back into alignment from his hug and looked to him before redirecting his attention to the room Takao had exited, instantly spotting what looked like Kisa laying in a bed.

"Kisa." He said under his breath as he looked up to Takao again and, upon receiving a nod of approval, carefully made his way into the somewhat dark room. At first glance it was clear that this must have been a spare bedroom Tsunade had been using this room to care for the girl, made evident by the lack of personal decorations, though as he came to the side of the bed he couldn't focus on anything but her.

The look on her face as she slept was so peaceful, so calm, yet as he looked down at her body he couldn't help but feel sick. Like them she was wearing borrowed clothing, though in her case it was a short black tank top that clearly showed the bandages that ran from her neck, down across her breasts and ended just short of her belly button, exposing a short bout of skin before the blanket covering her took over.

"Kisa… I… I'm so sorry." He whispered again as he subconsciously gripped his stomach with one hand and reached forward to place his hand atop hers, unaware that behind him both Takao and Shizune stood watching him from the door frame.

Hearing the floor behind him creak Akito looked over his shoulder at the two momentarily before returning his sight to Kisa's expressionless face as the memory of her kind smile flashed in his mind.

"Why hasn't she woken up yet? Raigetsu said I received far more poison than she did, yet I'm awake." The boy questioned with a guilt-heavy mind as Shizune stepped past the door frame and walked to Kisa's other side to check on her.

"We reversed the poison in her just like did to you, but this is the curse mark's doing. It's not uncommon for people with one of Orochimaru's marks to experience episodes of syncope after using the seal, but the time each person is unconscious varies greatly depending on the victim, and the truth is that we are not sure when she will wake up." Shizune replied, causing Akito's stomach to sink even deeper as his breath silently quivered.

They weren't sure when? Did that mean they weren't sure if ethier? No, no that couldn't be the case. Kisa had to wake up, she had to get better. She couldn't die or spend the rest of her life in a coma because of something that was meant for him.

"This… this is my fault. It's all my fault…" He stated as Takao stepped forward to object.

"This isn't your fault, Akito." He stated, though the boy shook his head. These thoughts had been lingering on his mind ever since Jun's death and now, seeing Kisa in such rough shape, he couldn't help but bring them up.

"Yes, Takao… it is. I destroyed Orochimaru's facility, which in turn caused Jun's death. And this curse? It… it was meant for me." The boy replied as his eyes drifted from Kisa's face to the floor in shame; his mind recalling her loss of control and Raigetsu's actions because of it.

"It should be me laying here, not her." He added as Takao stopped beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Would it have been better if he would have just went with Daiju and his men? Would all of this been averted?

"Now you know that's not true. She stepped in to protect you, you didn't make her. Nobody could have known that any of it would happen, so don't blame yourself." The tall man stated as Akito's eyes connected to his for a moment, recalling how Kisa had said something similar when he apologized in the forest, though at this moment he wasn't sure if even Kisa's words would be enough to convince him otherwise.

"She… she's going to be okay, right?" Akito then asked after a brief pause, causing Shizune to look at him and then to Tsunade as she too entered the room before nodding.

"We have a good understanding of how these things work, and while we might not yet understand enough to remove the seal we do have the knowledge to control its influence." She replied, bringing the Hokage to speak as well.

"Once she wakes up and regains some of her strength we will be able to place a counter seal overtop of Orochimaru's mark. This will help prevent her from losing control again. But for now we just need to focus on healing her injuries and getting her back on her feet." The woman added and after a moment or two brought Akito to nod, though his eyes remained locked to the girl in front of him.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade, Shizune." He stated as he slowly ran his thumb over the back of her hand in a calming motion, though it was he who sought the comfort he was hoping to create.

Seeing his lingering sadness, Tsunade looked back to the main living area of the Hokage residence as well as Takao who, as a form of gratitude, had been biding his time there as their personal chef. She knew that the boy was likely hungry after having spent the past two days in a shallow coma and believed that something to take his mind off of the girl's condition would be good.

"You must be hungry. Your talented friend here was just preparing to make us something special for dinner, and I think some time without worry would do you good. From what we've heard you've been doing a lot of that the last few days." The Fifth stated, bringing Akito look up at a nervous Takao for a moment though the boy simply nodded his head, turned and walked back towards the living room after reluctantly letting go of Kisa's hand. He had no desire to eat, but given the Hokage's already abundant generosity, he wouldn't dare object.

Following the others back into the main area as Shizune shut the door to Kisa's bedroom, Akito looked down at his hands; the mouths retracted into his now exposed palms due to his lack of gloves. The last time he looked down at his hands they were covered in Kisa's blood, driving his desire to go back to her side though as Tsunade began to speak again that thought was quickly put on the back burner.

"Takao tells us that he and his friends managed to capture you. I find that rather hard to believe given all of your training under the Tsuchikage himself." She stated with a sly grin as Akito came to a stop at the back of her chair and waited for her to motion for him to sit down before doing so while to his side Takao proceeded behind the kitchen counter.

"They did, though to be fair I had just came out of an encounter with Deidara so… I wasn't exactly prepared to handle three of Kiri's top shinobi." He replied as Takao silently formed a small grin and shook his head, bringing Tsunade to rub her chin in thought.

"That cousin of yours has caused quite the mess. Half of the ninja world is out looking for him and the rest of his Akatsuki pals right now, including some of our own." She stated as Akito carefully sat back down on the couch he had been asleep on for the last two days and involuntarily rubbed his exposed arms before tucking them into his body to try and hide the scars as well as his kinjutsu.

"Don't remind me. I've been looking for him for so long… it was my chance to bring him home to face justice and put an end to the shame he has brought both my clan and Iwagakure, but he got away." The boy replied as Shizune huffed.

"Why would the Tsuchikage send you alone? If Deidara was able to take down the Kazekage by himself, what made him think a single chunin could handle him?" She questioned as Akito shrugged off the minor annoyance in her words and looked back over his shoulder at the girl who, in following her orders, remained with a watchful eye on their Hidden Mist guest.

"The Tsuchikage sent me because I asked him too… but none of us could have expected Deidara to have become so dangerous, even as a member of the Akatsuki." The boy replied as Takao looked over the counter towards him with a hint of surprise.

"A chunin? You mean to tell me that your not a jonin?" He asked as Akito formed a small smile and shook his head, prompting the man to laugh under his breath.

"Man, I find that hard to believe. All three of us are chunin, and we still almost didn't capture you when you escaped." Takao added as Akito thought back to his attempt to escape, focusing in the almost successful plan's ultimate failure upon Kisa trapping him inside her dome.

"Yeah well, in your defense I tend to handle jonin-level assignments more than anything else these days. I've had to get use to fighting alone, even against the odds." He responded as he looked out of the sliding glass door to the village outside, bringing the smile on his face to remain.

Compared to home Konoha was much more vibrant and alive, filled with green trees, multi-colored buildings and plenty of public places for people to gather and socialize. This was one of the first things he noticed when he came to the village as an academy student nearly nine years ago and something that he was glad had not changed throughout the years.

"How have things been here? Intelligence in Iwa said is was one of your squads that ran into Deidara and his partner after they kidnapped the Kazekage." He questioned as he looked back to their host, still deep in thought.

"Yes, it was. Naruto Uzumaki's group, if you are willing to believe that." She replied, instantly causing Akito's head to tilt in surprise.

"Really? I just saw him in Getaru City a few days ago. He didn't mention it." The boy replied as Tsunade grinned and shook her head.

"Well, you know him; head constantly in the clouds. He probably doesn't even remember Deidara is your cousin. As far as things here go, it's been rather busy. We've spent nearly every day since the Akatsuki attacked Sunagakure following up on tips pouring into the village, most of which ends up being nothing." She responded as her smile slowly disappeared and was replaced by an exhausted sigh.

"But despite all of the false leads the threat is very real and the village is on edge, making each day seem like a new challenge." She added as Takao again chimed in while carefully preparing a few chicken breasts for dinner.

"Is that why we are here, to keep from making people nervous? I've been wondering that since we arrived. Not that I'm ungrateful, I just never expected to be spending my time here under the Hokage's direct supervision." He asked as the Hokage shook her head.

"Not exactly, although I guess that could be considered true as well. You guys staying here is partially because of Akito's connection to the Tsuchikage which, like it or not, makes you a rather important person. The last thing I need is for you to die and have Iwa figure out I hadn't taken the best care of you that I could." She began to explain as she turned back to Akito with a smirk, knowing how much he hated special treatment.

"But most of the reason is Kisa's condition. I want to make sure that we do everything we can to help her and that it is all done right, and since most of that knowledge is split between Shizune and I, it only made sense to keep you all here."

Reminded of Kisa's condition Akito's eyes shifted to the bedroom door hiding her from his view. What she was saying was true; there was nobody else he would rather have taking care of Kisa in her condition and he had no doubt that her best chance of recovery was under her direct care, prompting him to nod his head as his vision returned to the floor.

"Thank you, again. I sure am glad I saved that favor." He stated with a small hint of upbeat attitude, causing the Hokage to tilt her head as she waved off his thought.

"Hold on to your favor, Akito. Even if I am not directly at fault for what Orochimaru has done I can't help but feel partially responsible. I could have stopped this years ago had I know, and now with more people than ever falling victim to his tricks… this is the least I can do." She added as Akito sat back against the couch and allowed his arms to rest on his lap against despite his better judgment, though as he assumed the Hokage refrained from doing little but quickly skimming over his bandages to check for any blood seeping through.

"He's… not well, and I don't mean mentally." The boy stated in regards to Orochimaru as Takao nodded while watching from the corner of his eyes as Shizune leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Yeah it seems he's lost all use of his arms, or at least the ability to conduct ninjutsu through them." He added as Tsunade looked to both of them.

"That's because when he attempted to kill the Third Hokage three years ago the Third managed to permanently sever the chakra flow in his arms. By now they are likely starting to rot away." She explained, once again causing Takao to laugh under his breath in disbelief.

"Well, that explains it." The man stated while Akito sat in silence, recalling the event that she was talking about. He had not been present in the village during the time of the Konoha Crush as it was called, but was sent there afterwards on one of his many diplomatic runs and, having seen the devastation caused by Sunagakure and Otogakure's combined attack, secretly wished he had been in order to assist in the village's defense.

"The Third was rather skilled so I'm not exactly surprised. He was a good man." The boy stated having known the Third Hokage from his time in the exchange program, bringing Tsunade to grin.

"He was rather fond of you too, from what I've read. He even noted that Iwagakure would be better off should you, or another shinobi of your generation with a similar mindset, take Onoki's place when he retires." She added as Akito's eyes drifted to her for a moment and a small grin formed on his face.

"Yeah well… he's not going to retire, and you couldn't make me take his position for all of the money in the world." He responded, instantly causing Tsunade to laugh and shake her head as she knew exactly what a pain being a Kage really was.

"Smart boy." She replied at the end of her chuckle before leading the conversation off in another direction aimed at asking Takao about himself and Kisa, leading to a lengthy discussion that Akito became increasingly distant from.

Despite their conversations and the Hokage's attempt to keep him from thinking about Kisa he found himself unable to shake thoughts and memories about the girl from his mind, focusing back on their multiple encounters over the past few weeks. These ranged from her move to protect him from Raigetsu's sword to his grabbing of her hand to force herself to heal after being poisoned, but no single moment seemed to stick out more than the moment she woke up from being branded by Orochimaru's seal.

Seeing he was injured she moved between his legs without hesitation to tend to his wounds regardless of how awkward it was or how much reprimand she would have received from Jun, and although this memory occurred nearly five days ago he could still see and feel it as if they were still trapped in that moment.

From the feeling of her hands on his face to the the warmth of her body against his as he held her he could remember it all, including each ember from the fire as it flickered in her bright blue eyes. She was worried about his condition above everything else and wanted to make sure he was alright, but now with their roles reversed he found himself unable to help her, filling him with a feeling of helplessness and despair he hadn't felt in years

And yet this felt new and different. The weight on his shoulders was much heavier than he had ever felt before in his life, but why? Why was it that he was so worried about her after only knowing the girl such a short period of time? Was this too because of the connection he felt with the girl because of their loss? Could that really have formed such a strong bond to her, or was it more? Was it the way she talked to him, the way she acted? Why was this happening?

Finishing his answer to Tsunade's question regarding his childhood and cooking skills some time later, Takao looked up to the Hokage from the vegetables he had been dicing as his smile slowly stagnated.

"Lady Hokage, I have a question if you don't mind. It's something I've been curious about, but I've been waiting for Akito to wake up to ask it." He said, drawing both Tsunade and Shizune's eyes to him while the boy in question lifted his head a bit as he slowly pulled from his trance.

"Go ahead Takao, what is it?" She replied as the man paused for a moment and looked to the back of Akito's bedhead.

"Our friend Jun, the man we lost because of all of this, he… he was killed by a man who… ate flesh. Have you ever heard of something like this?" Takao questioned, immediately causing Shizune to cringe while Tsunade tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Eating flesh… like a cannibal?" She questioned as the man nodded.

"Yes, he killed jun and when Akito found him he… he was eating Jun's throat, like some kind of monster from a folk tale." Takao replied as Tsunade stared at him and then looked at Akito who without saying anything reached up and unwrapped the single bandage around his neck, revealing small red spots in the shape of a bite mark, though by now the wound had almost entirely healed.

"He bit me as well, but I managed to get away." He added as Tsunade looked up at the boy's neck, recalling seeing the marks in question as she tended to his injuries.

"I saw the wound but I hadn't put too much thought into it, especially since Kisa did a good job healing it." She stated as she rubbed her chin in thought, only to shake her head.

"I've never heard of any form of kinjutsu requiring flesh to be eaten if that's what you are asking and it's highly possible that it could have simply been some sort of weird habit of his... but I'll add it to the list of other weird crap that's been happening lately. Men who look like sharks, people turned into puppets… what has the world come to?" The Hokage added as Shizune squirmed uncomfortably again at the mental image portrayed by their words.

"That's so messed up and gross, I don't even want to think about it." The woman complained as Takao nodded. It was hard enough to see the aftermath, let alone the act, making him wonder how Akito was so easily able to shrug off the sight.

"Thank you anyway, Lady Hokage. We haven't told Kisa yet, so when she wakes up if you could please not… I would appreciate it. I think it would be best if she heard it from me. Jun was very close to us both." Takao added to which Tsunade nodded in acknowledgment while watching Akito replaced the bandages around his neck.

"Of course. I understand how traumatic losing someone you care about can be, so I wouldn't want to interfere with what you think is best." She replied as Akito's vision narrowed back in in the floor and his thoughts once again zoned out. What was he thinking about so intently?

Over the next two days Akito found himself unable to relax; most of his time spent either by the girl's side or not far from it while Takao, Tsunade and himself continued to work out some kind of arrangement for the two Mist shinobi to stay in Konoha.

Having heard all of the evidence and after seeing what Kirigakure felt was due justice, Tsunade agreed to have the Hidden Leaf act a mediator in the case against Takao and Kisa, much to both Takao and Akito's relief, though as something else troubling came to the boy's mind he felt himself slipping into a deeper anxiety-fueled haze.

He had been away from Iwagakure so long that he feared that the Tsuchikage would become nervous and send out a party looking for him, meaning that as much as he didn't want to, he would have no choice to return home to show his face, at least temporarily. This was something he had hoped to put off until Kisa was at least awake, but since she had yet to improve, he felt he could wait no longer.

Excusing himself from the dining room table following the completion of their meal the boy placed his bowl on the kitchen sink at Takao's request and proceeded to walk into the main living area once again, continuing on to the sliding glass and then out onto the balcony as the sun began to set off in the distance on the other side of the city.

By now he was back to walking fine on his own despite the occasional pain from his wounds allowing him room to do as he pleased, though it wasn't long before the Fifth Hokage followed him outside and shut the door behind her.

"Well is it just as beautiful as you remember it?" She questioned as the boy looked over towards her for a moment and then back out at the sunset as a heavy breeze whizzed overhead.

"Always is. Back home the sun sets a lot earlier because of the mountains, but you can keep the sun in view a bit longer if you climb to the top of the Tsuchikage's office." He replied as the woman behind him smiled at the gesture and walked to the railing beside him.

"So what's the deal with this girl?" She immediately stated on a direct course to her point as Akito's eyes to widen a bit, though he remained looking out to the village.

"What do you mean Lady Tsunade?" He questioned as the Fifth immediately formed a sly look and scoffed.

"Come on now kid, you know what I mean. I may not have known you all that long, but we've run into each other enough for me to know when something is bothering you, especially when you're doing such a bad job hiding it." She replied, catching the boy's vision from the corner of his eye. She wasn't wrong; he had done a horrible job concealing his emotions over the past few days despite having been taught to do so most of his life, bringing him to sigh.

"I don't know. I'm just worried about Kisa." He replied as he subconsciously gripped the railing in front of him to fight off the pressure in his chest while to his side Tsunade continued to smirk.

"Everyone worries about their friends, Akito. Surely you've worried about someone before." She responded with a small laugh, prompting him to shake his head in protest as he recalled all of the worry he held for her over the last few days.

"Not like this." He began to reply before biting his tongue to stop the words that were about to leave his mouth. Could he explain his thoughts properly without making it seem like he was some sort of lovesick child?

"You are going to have to explain more than that, kid. I'm the Hokage, not a mind reader. What makes this so different?" The Hokage protested as he fell silent for longer than she had hoped, causing the boy to bite his lip.

"I-I don't know, I… I'm worried she might not wake up… that I might not ever get to speak to her again." He blurted out as he nervously rubbed his right arm, trying to sift through the emotional whirlwind in his head.

"I'm afraid that she won't get to see this through till the end; that she won't be able to return home and continue to live life. That she won't be able to be happy again… or that I won't get to see her be happy. Truly happy." Akito added as he gripped his arm tighter in embarrassment. What he was saying didn't seem too coherent to his ears, as if it was just coming out in fear of the Hokage's temper, but yet where was it coming from?

"You might think I'm crazy, but… ever since I met her I've just been... pulled to her, like some kind of magnet. She was the first person who was nice to me… the one who took care of me, fed me, gave me water." He began to explain as he thought back on these moments as well, even recalling her attempt to shield him from the rain with her umbrella.

"And then after she and Takao became convinced that I wasn't Deidara we became friends. We talked, laughed… when I saw her breaking down after Jun's death I couldn't help but comfort her despite the fact that I thought she would reject it… but she didn't."

"Now, when she's in danger I… I can't think. I become worried that she's going to be hurt, that I'm going to lose her. We are ninja; our entire world revolves around danger and putting our lives at risk. If my father…" He continued on his rant, cringing at the thought of his father's opinion on such feelings, before Tsunade, who had known his father from her experiences in the Second Shinobi World War, interrupted.

"You are nothing like your father, and that isn't something to be ashamed of." She stated rather abruptly as Akito looked back up to her and slowly nodded with confused, defeated eyes.

"But the worst part of it all is that she… hates me. Her father died at the hands of Iwagakure shinobi after the Yosuga Pass incident, but yet she treats me with… kindness, compassion. I don't understand it, I just feel..."

"You feel connected to her." Tsunade interjected as Akito's eyes darted back to her before feeling of heat forming in his face, forcing him to look down while simultaneously nodding to confirm her thought.

"I mean it doesn't take a scholar to see why. She lost her father, you… lost yours. Maybe that is the connection. Maybe she feels it too, cuz it certainly doesn't seem like she hates you." She added as Akito reconnected his eyes to her and shook his head.

"No. She doesn't know about my family, I… I didn't tell her." He replied, bringing Tsunade to raise a brow in confusion as she leaned on the railing and faced towards him. As tragic as his past was it was a integral part of what made him what he was and it somewhat shocked her that he wouldn't tell someone he cared for, village differences or not.

"Well the universe works in strange ways. Maybe she feels the connection but can't figure it out herself." Tsunade retorted as the boy listened intently before turning to look through the glass towards the closed bedroom door again. Was that what was driving her to act the way she was towards him regardless of their differences? Did she feel the connection as well?

"I don't know, I... don't know what to do. I feel so lost… helpless. I hate it." He again repeated as if his brain was frying before Tsunade again spoke up, this time with a compassionate smile. Just like his never before seen his depression this confused, helpless demeanor was new as well, creating a sort of lovesick puppy vibe that she found cute.

"You're overthinking this. Relax. Right now you should be focused on her recovery. Like I said before there is no true cure for a cursed seal at the moment, just treatment, and even then she is going to need time and plenty of support to cope with what Orochimaru has done, especially after losing such a close friend." She said as she too turned to look towards the bedroom door.

"Can you give her that support, regardless of how she feels towards you?" She questioned as the boy's eyes lowered to the planking at their feet for a moment before he slowly nodded.

"Yes, I… I can. I will." He replied as Tsunade grinned and tucked a loose hair behind her ear as it broke free in the wind.

"Well then let things progress naturally, see where this connection takes you. She seems like a sweet girl from what I've heard, minus the kidnapping of course, and she is quite beautiful if I had to say so myself." Tsunade added as Akito grunted under his breath and redirected his red-faced attention towards her, realizing now that the Hokage was fully under the assumption that he held deeper feelings for the girl than he originally intended to portray.

"L-Lady Tsunade I think you may have misinterpreted me a bit-" He began to explain, though as the woman's eyes shot to his he immediately shut his mouth and looked back down at the ground.

"What was that? Are you about to tell me I was wrong after I just spat out all of that sappy crap?" She questioned in a stern voice as the boy feverishly shook his head.

"N-No, no that's not it, not at all!" He replied as the woman huffed and looked back to the glass door, though after a second the boy spoke up again as his sheepish tone returned.

"I… I have to return home, at least for a day to show the Tsuchikage I am alive, but I… I don't want her to think I abandoned her and Takao." He replied as the Hokage looked to him for a moment and grinned.

"I'm sure that she will understand, especially if you aren't gone long since I have a very strong hunch that you won't be gone long. Besides, if she does wake up before you get back I'll make sure to tell her all about how you moped around for the past two days and refused to leave her side." She said with a hint of amusement, breaking the boy's somber expression and causing him to form a small grin.

"Thank you, ma'am. I will head out first thing in the morning then… if I travel quick it won't take me more than a few days." He stated as his attention shifted to Kisa's bedroom door, leading the Fifth to do the same.

"I'm sure I can manage to keep them safe until then." She replied with a sarcastic smirk before taking a deep breath and shaking her head.

"Well I better get back to what I was working on before dinner. The work of a Kage never ceases… remember that." She added before opening the glass door and leaving the boy be, prompting him to look back out at the city around him as he did so.

Even though he wasn't entirely sure what the Hokage thought of his situation he couldn't deny that her advice was rather helpful, at least in explaining why he was worrying so much about Kisa's condition. It was clear that he was in fact harboring a connection to the girl, although he was hesitant to admit it and even more reserved in assuming that she may feel something back, especially with how he knew she felt about his people.

Was it possible that she really was feeling some sort of affection towards him? Over the past week or so he had noticed that the girl had become far less cold and almost welcoming to him, as evident by their several heartfelt embraces including her quest for comfort following Jun's death, but could it really be a sign that she was developing feelings for him?

No, no it couldn't be. Connection or not there was no feasible way that someone like her, such a strong, independant kunoichi, could ever develop feelings for someone like him; especially so quick. Kisa was his friend and that was it, it had to be it. However, if that were true, why did the thought seem to sting so badly? Did he want her to feel some sort of attraction to him?

It had been a long, long time since he last felt this way about someone, and for good reason. The last person he felt this way about brought him to his knees, both physically and emotionally, leading him to stay away from relationships and bonds of all types almost completely. But yet Kisa was different, drawing him out past his previous defenses and years spent in solitude in mere weeks. Why? Could their personal tragedies really be what started all of this?

With his plans to leave early the next morning Akito stood outside on the porch for a little while longer before once again returning to Kisa's bedside and sitting down in the chair he had spent much of his time the last few days waiting in. Despite the lack of progress over the past few days Akito continued to remain hopeful that she would wake up at any second, though as early morning set in it became clear that would not be the case.

Checking on his friend once more as he prepared to head back to the Hidden Stone, Akito watched as moonlight from the setting moon flooded through the windows and reflected across her frosted white hair. She was resting so peacefully despite the horrible situation thrust upon her that he couldn't help but smile, though as the thought of her waking up and fearing he had abandoned her returned his stomach again twisted into a knot.

Following his clan's downfall he was left in a coma that last several days just like the one she was in now, and one of the things that stood out the most from the day he opened his eyes was the thought that he was alone and that he had been forgotten; a feeling that he sought to prevent, just as he had done following Jun's death. But how? How could he help prove that he would return, even if he wasn't there?

Stepping back from the bed as he looked around in thought the boy's attention drifted to the mirror across from him as the moon's light struck another object and caught his eye; the necklace around his neck, now exposed by his lack of forehead protector.

Tilting his head to the side the boy reached down and picked the object up in his hands before tracing his eyes over his clan's symbol replicated in gold. When she first saw the necklace she made the comment that it was rather ornate for someone like him, though with what he had always been told it represented it was his best chance of conveying his intent to return, so long as she remembered what he told her.

Slowly reaching up to his neck Akito pulled the necklace from his head and held it out in front of him, allowing the light from the moon to pierce into the emerald in the center. When his mother first gifted the necklace to him before he started the academy she stated that it was his to give to someone he truly cared about, and while it had found a home around another's neck once before, that someone was now Kisa.

Without further hesitation the boy stepped a bit closer to the bed as he unlatched the clasps and placed it around her neck, laying the golden emblem down on her chest as he did so. It wasn't much but it was all he really had left that tied him to his family, and it would have to do.

With a soft sigh Akito stood back up straight and took one last look at the girl before turning to leave the room, though he froze as he almost instantly caught site of Takao who, unbeknownst to Akito had snuck into the room to speak with him.

"T-Takao. I… I didn't know you were up. I didn't want to wake anyone." The boy stated in embarrassment as his face began to rapidly change colors, instantly prompting Takao to smirk.

"Tsunade told me you were planning to leave in the morning, though I didn't think she was right." He stated as his eyes locked to the boy's, bringing him to nod in an almost shameful manner.

"I don't want to, but I'm afraid the Tsuchikage will lose his damn mind if I don't. As Tsunade said the other day I am held as rather important regard in Iwa, as much as I hate to admit it." He replied as Takao stared at him for a moment before once again looking down at Kisa, or more specifically the necklace around her neck. He hadn't been present during their initial conversation about the item's meaning though he had heard bits about it through talking with his long time friend, leading him to understand that for him to give it to her, even temporarily, was quite a big deal.

"I feel stupid asking this question, but you plan to come back, right?" The man questioned as Akito looked to him for a second and then back to Kisa, who he assumed was what he meant by his question being stupid. The topic hadn't come up in conversation between the two of them but he was certain that by now Takao could see what Tsunade did, making this both awkward and slightly relieving.

"Of course I do, I'm not going to just leave you two here. I shouldn't be gone too long, a few days tops." Akito replied with a small grin as Takao, now leaning up against the wall behind him, lowered his head and smirked.

"That's good, because not gonna lie, it's going to be really awkward around here without you. Plus… I'm running out of good recipes and I feel like if I can't produce, I'm going to be out on the street." He added, instantly causing Akito to laugh under his breath as he shook his head.

"Come on Takao, Tsunade isn't going to kick you out because you've ran out of dinner ideas." The boy responded as Takao shook his head and sighed.

"Yeah well… hurry back regardless. You're part of this team now Akito Himaku, regardless of what village you are from." The man added with a wide grin and wink, holding his fist out towards Akito who, in a bit of surprise, waited a moment before bumping it with his own as a sign of their friendship.

"Thank you. It means a lot to hear you say that… I'll see you soon, okay?" Akito responded with a smile as he took one last look at Kisa and then disappeared from the room, destined for Iwagakure. He would be on his own again for the first time in nearly a month and although he had spent the greater part of nearly eight years this way, he couldn't help but feel strange about it. He was always excited to be going home after a long mission away, but now all he could think about was getting back to his friends. The sooner he could return to Konoha, the better.


	13. Chapter 13: Homecoming

Half way through his day's work as the sun reached it's mid afternoon peak, the Third Tsuchikage raised his head up from the paperwork on his desk and stretched his back. Although it was only nearing three or so in the afternoon he was already tired and his ailing spine was causing him quite the trouble which, combined with everything else plaguing his mind, made focusing on work nearly impossible.

With a sigh the man spun himself around in his chair to look out of the large window behind his desk instead, watching as some of the Land of Earth's largest birds passed by with a hint of annoyance across his face. Reports of Akatsuki sightings were continuing to flood Iwa's intelligence networks but yet none of them seemed to mentions Deidara, nor did they say anything about Akito, troubling him greatly.

It had been nearly a month since he granted his student permission to seek out and bring back his rogue cousin to face justice and the boy had yet to return, making this the longest he had gone without any sort of contact with his home and solidifying his original opinion that he should not have granted the boy's request to track him alone. Deidara was a cunning, dangerous opponent who cared little for bonds of his fellow ninja and despite their connection by blood Onoki was unsure how he would react to fighting against Akito and vice versa.

Hearing a sudden knock at the door Onoki turned his chair enough to look towards the large piece of wood from the corner of his eye before placing his fingers together and clearing his throat to speak.

"Come in." He stated as he watched the door opening regardless of instruction to do so, revealing Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, both of whom he had sent earlier in the day to see if either the village's Anbu officials or the Jonin he had assigned to track Akito down had found anything on the boy.

"Any word?" Onoki immediately questioned before the two could shut his door upon entering, bringing Kurotsuchi to sigh as she shook her head and placed her right hand on her hip.

"Nope, not a thing. I told him it was stupid to go alone, but he doesn't listen worth a damn." Kurotsuchi replied as Akatsuchi plopped down on the couch just inside of the office interior while letting out a loud sigh of exhaustion.

"None of the outposts have heard anything either, Lord Tsuchikage. I've already checked." He stated, bringing the girl to his right to cross her arms and huff in annoyance.

"I told him that I would come with him to find Deidara but no, stupid had to go on his own, and now here we are trying to find him. I sure hope you would put as much effort into finding me if I went missing as you have put into finding Akito." She contested with a sarcastic smirk, bringing the Tsuchikage to groan in disapproval as he turned back around to look out at the mountains.

"You know very well that if the roles were reversed you wouldn't have wanted his help, so I suggest that you knock it off. You and Akito might not always see eye to eye, but you must remember that not only is Akito one of our own but his clan is amongst Iwa's most influential and important assets." The Tsuchikage replied as Kurotsuchi looked off to the side in annoyance.

"Whatever you say old man." She responded before opening her mouth to speak again no more than a few seconds later.

"If you are so worried about him then send Akatsuchi and me to find him, or at least to track down Deidara. It's been years since he was last seen, even after hiring his new friends to complete tasks for the village; we can't let the opportunity to catch him go to waste." The girl added, drawing Akatsuchi to shake his head in protest.

"You know we can't do that Kurotsuchi. Running out for the day around town is one thing, but leaving the village and the Tsuchikage's side is another!" He stated, once more causing Kurotsuchi to roll her eyes as Onoki's attention shifted away from the open windows behind him to interrupt his two bickering guards, though before he could a loud thud on the roof above them caused him to stop.

Shocked by the noise all three of the Iwa shinobi looked up at the ceiling as Akatsuchi stood to his feet and prepared for whatever it was to show itself, but before he could move himself from the window a figure wearing blue pants and a shirt grabbed ahold of the top windowsill, swung it's way into the room and landed beside Onoki.

"I had a hard enough time tracking him when his trail was fresh, you'll never find him now." The figure stated as Onoki's eyes widened at the discovery the man's identity was none other than the boy they had just been talking about; his attire resembling that of a Konoha chunin save for his Iwagakure forehead protector around his neck.

"Akito? Where the hell have you been?" Onoki immediately asked with a frustrated tone as Kurotsuchi ran her eyes over the boy, shifted her weight-bearing hip to the opposite side and scoffed.

"And what the fuck are you wearing? Is that a Leaf uniform?" She added as the boy looked to both of them individually and then to Akatsuchi, who's own relieved smile caused him to nod with a grin all his own.

"Yeah, I... ran out of clothes. Things didn't go as planned and I ended up having to borrow some in Konoha." He replied as he looked to Onoki on his right and lowered his head a bit in a respectful manner, though as he did so Onoki stood up to his feet and waved his bow away, caring little for the gesture from someone he considered to be within his direct circle.

"Answer my question, boy! It's been nearly a month since you went after Deidara; did you find him? Where have you been?" He demanded as Akito looked up at him and then shook his head.

"I did maybe a week after I left, down in Kusagakure's territory. But he bested me and escaped... again." Akito replied in a disheartened tone as he subconsciously rubbed the arm he had broken when he fell out of the sky; his fingers tracing over the fresh bandages he had placed across his skin prior to setting out on his journey. He could still recall what Deidara said to him about being forgiven, though the emotions he felt in that moment were something he did not want to repeat.

"He's grown since he fled, sensei. The rumors about his clay creatures being more dangerous than we anticipated are true, even more than the clay you taught me how to use." He added as Onoki looked at him for a moment before stroking his beard and closing his eyes in thought.

"That is unfortunate, but at least you escaped relatively unharmed. We have that to be thankful for." The Tsuchikage stated as he let out a sigh of relief at Akito's return, though after but a few seconds he looked back up the boy in thought.

"That still leaves me with a question; if your mission was a failure almost three weeks ago, where did you go? I've have nearly every Anbu and jonin we could spare out looking for you for the past five days." Onoki added as Akito looked up at him and then to both of his bodyguards while rubbing his neck.

"Well, when Deidara fled he knocked me unconscious, and when I came to I had been captured." He stated as Akatsuchi's eyes widened.

"Captured by who?" He questioned in obvious concern and bewilderment.

"By a group of shinobi from the Hidden Mist. They were in the area on their way from an assignment to another in the Land of Fire and spotted me… they saw my kinjutsu and since it is so rare assumed that I was Deidara." Akito added as Kurotsuchi formed a confused yet irritated scowl.

"How could they possibly confuse you for Deidara, you look nothing alike. Did their Bingo Book not have pictures or something?" She asked as Akito shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I told them I wasn't Deidara, but their leader didn't believe it and took me to Getaru City in the Land of Fire to try and process me at a collection station. But when that didn't work they took me on their mission to assist them with the goal of turning me over in Kiri, though just like my own assignment, their mission didn't go as planned."

Hearing his student's explanation, Onoki's brow furrowed with irritation and animosity. For another nation to hold a Stone shinobi hostage without almost certain proof that he was a criminal was grounds for action, especially when that person held one of Iwa's most prized kekkei genkai, as well as it's signature kinjutsu.

"Those Mist ninja have some real gall holding you against your will and then using you as some kind of tool. This kind of behavior can not be allowed to go without consequence!" He stated, bringing Kurotsuchi to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, this kind of crap is why wars are fought. What should we do to send a message old man?" She asked Onoki as he looked to her in annoyance before turning back to Akito as the boy stepped forward and shook his head.

"Hold on, there is no need for that. If I really wanted to escape I could have done so, at least initially." He replied as he held his hand up towards her to calm her hasty desire to retaliate for his capture, bringing her to scoff.

"Oh yeah hotshot? Why didn't you then?" Kurotsuchi fired back as she tightened her crossed arms against her chest in annoyance, watching as Akito huffed and once more rubbed his neck in a nervous fashion. He had anticipated that explaining his delay in returning home to the Tsuchikage was going to be hard enough, but with Kurotsuchi present it seemed it was going to be berating as well, leaving him open for the girl's sometimes childish ridicule.

"They were good people… still are. Their leader, Jun, truly believed I was Deidara and had hoped that turning me in would yield them the large bounty on his head, securing a much needed financial buff for him as well as his two teammates, Takao and Kisa." He stated as he looked down to Onoki, trying his best to piece the story together correctly.

"He accepted a mission to assist in apprehending bandits from Takigakure but when we arrived at the target location it became clear that it was all a trap. The placed ended up being an Otogakure fortress of some kind and we became trapped inside, forcing us to fight our way out, and then once we escaped we had to fight the man who employed them to take the mission in the first place. We managed to fight them off, but… it cost Jun his life." Akito continued, stopping at the memory of finding Jun's body; his blank, emotionless stare still burned into his sight as Saburo stood above him with a mouthful of his flesh and blood.

"But that isn't the end of it. The client told Kirigakure beforehand that the group had gone against the Mizukage's orders and willingly attacked a Hidden Sound, leading them to be labeled rogue ninja. I offered to take them to Konoha and use my somewhat-decent connections there to help them find asylum until this was all taken care of, but on our way there a team of Mist Anbu found us. They poisoned me and nearly killed Kisa... I woke up six days ago on the Hokage's couch, but to the best of my knowledge she has yet to." He finished with a worried expression, bring on a short silence in the room before Kurotsuchi grinned.

"It only takes four days at a decent, uninterrupted pace to make it to Konoha, which means that you spent two whole days in the Hidden Leaf instead of returning home to let us know you are alive. So let me guess… instead of tracking Deidara or coming to tell us you were alive you stayed because you were worried about the girl, didn't you?" She questioned as she reached out to poke his cheek with her finger, though Akito pushed it away before she could do so with an irritated expression.

"Yeah, I did. Unlike you I care about other people." He stated as he stepped forward and leaned towards her, causing her to do the same as each of them stared into one another's dark eye with enough fury to make Akatsuchi step back to avoid being in the crossfire.

"Oh yeah? I'll have you know that I care about people too, I just don't make it a point to tell you about it!" Kurotsuchi immediately fired back, thought before ethier could speak again Onoki stepped between them and pushed both of them away from one another.

"Alright you two that is enough!" He ordered as they both turned away in frustration, causing him to look at each of them individually before focusing on Akito once again while taking a deep, calming breath.

"I think what Kurotsuchi is trying to say is that while we would have appreciated if you returned right home after waking up, we are _all_ glad that you have returned safe. Isn't that right?" Onoki added, bringing his granddaughter to look at him and then to Akito before grumbling out an agreement.

Looking at the girl from the corner of his eye as she apologized, Akito turned back towards the two and sighed. Kurotsuchi was right to believe that he should have immediately returned to Iwagakure after waking up in Konoha as it was standard protocol to do so, even if she didn't understand just what kind of situation he and the others were in.

"I am sorry sensei, both for my delay returning as well as my mission's failure." Akito stated as Onoki shook his head and turned back towards his chair.

"No need to apologize. Besides, there is plenty more that needs to get done around here, so your return is perfectly timed. I'm sure you'll need a day or two to pull yourself together, but after that I could really use your help on a few assignments." He stated as he sat down at his desk and reluctantly looked down to the pile of paperwork sitting on it, though almost immediately an uncertain look developed across Akito's face.

"Actually sensei, I… have a favor to ask of you." He stated as Onoki's eyes returned to him and stared in silence, commanding him to continue.

"I request a temporary leave of absence from my duties here in Iwagakure in order to return to the Hidden Leaf." The boy added as both Kurotsuchi and Onoki's eyes returned to him.

"Are you nuts?" She immediately questioned the boy who without hesitation shook his head.

"Their struggle isn't over and I promised them I would be there to see it through." He replied as his eye's returned to Onoki, who by now had moved his interlocked hands to his mouth in thought. The boy had only just returned to the village after a month's absence and yet here he was requesting permission to leave already? What had gotten into him?

"You are going to have to explain a little more than that, Akito. I can see that you seem to hold some form of regard for your surviving captors, but given the fact you hold no actual obligation to them I need to hear more if I am to consider this request." He stated as Akito looked down at the desk, taking note of the several pending assignments assorted by importance. He had never been one to shy away from what his sensei and leader asked of him, but this matter was something personal; something he had to do.

"When we were in the Sound base we encountered the village's leader: the legendary sannin Orochimaru. He… branded Kisa with this strange cursed seal that makes her go crazy, and I… I would like permission to return to Konoha to help figure this all out; to help her get better and to help them sort things out with Kirigakure so that they could return home." He added as Kurotsuchi's grin slowly returned at the knowledge that this did, infact, have something to do with the girl, though before she could instigate him further Onoki caught her with his gaze and ordered her to stop with a stern glare.

Holding his stare to hers until he was sure she would abstain from any smart remarks, Onoki looked back to Akito for a moment before closing his eyes in order to collect his thoughts. He too had heard of the former Konoha sannin's experiments on humans and ninjutsus as well as the rumors that he had been toying with subhuman genetic modifications; was that what he has done to this girl Akito was speaking of?

Even more impressive was his mention of having encountered the man in question. If he was present in the facility then Akito and his friends more than likely would have had to have fought the man to escape, assumingly claiming victory; a feat that was unachievable to quite a large number of Iwa shinobi during the Second Shinobi World War.

"I will admit that I have been a bit overzealous with my use of your experience with Konoha and it's people as a way to communicate with that wretched place, but you must remember that every time I send you there, every time you are within those walls or even in that county, that many of them see you as an outsider and a threat. I know you hold little animosity towards them, but you must remember that they are far from our ally." He began to say as he took a deep breath.

"What you are asking me is rather noble, especially given the nature of how you met this team of two and even more so after all of the pain and suffering Konoha has caused you because of their careless attitude of acceptance to strangers. This girl seems dangerous, and I am having a hard time justifying the risk of you going through more at their hands." He questioned, bringing Akito to grunt under his breath as his stomach to turn at the Tsuchikage's words. He didn't have to go much further into detail to know what his sensei meant, though despite his abrasive attempt he knew that this was Onoki's way of showing concern.

"Please Lord Tsuchikage, I… I don't ask much. This is important to me." He again requested as he bowed to his leader, causing Onoki to open his eyes to look at the boy. Although Akito had almost always been formal with him despite their somewhat close relationship he rarely bowed nor did he plead, bringing the Tsuchikage to become rather surprised. Did these two Mist ninja really mean that much to him, and if so, why?

Pulling his hands away from his mouth with a heavy, drawn out sigh, Onoki motioned for the boy to lift his head.

"I guess it wouldn't be such a big deal to grant you this one request. You've always done as you were told and, as you stated before, seldom ask for anything in return. Even if it is against my better judgement." He stated as Kurotsuchi gasped in disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me, are you the one who is nuts old man?! Who's going to go after him when he goes missing this time, huh?!" She questioned as Onoki's eyes shot to her and then back to Akito.

"This is different, because in the event he goes missing this time _you_ will at least know where to start looking." He stated in direct retaliation to her insulting name for him once again, causing the girl to cross her arms and huff as she looked away from the two.

"Maybe this time he'll get so lost we won't find him." She grumbled in annoyance as Akito looked to her and then to Onoki before bowing his head again.

"Thank you, sensei. You have no idea how grateful I am." He stated as Onoki formed a small grin at the corner of his lips.

"Don't thank me, just don't make me regret this decision." The Tsuchikage replied as he sat back in his chair and spun around to face the open window again.

"Since you've just arrived I recommend that you wait until at least tomorrow morning to set out for Konoha. That will give you some time to rest, resupply and… change your clothes." He added as he looked over the boy's ridiculous attire from the side of his eye, bringing Akito to smile a bit himself.

"I will sensei, don't worry." The boy replied as he turned, looked to both Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi, and then returned to the window he had entered through just a few minutes earlier before heading out into the village below, leaving the Tsuchikage and his escorts alone one again to bicker as Kurotsuchi continued to protest their leader's decision.

"I can't believe you are actually going to let him go." She grumbled as Onoki turned to watch Akito heading off towards his clan's compound across Iwa near the mountains.

"He was determined to return to Konoha one way or another, I could see it in his eyes. There wasn't any point in fighting him." He stated as he closed his eyes in thought once more.

"You are the Tsuchikage. You could have told him no and that would have been the end of it; he wouldn't have gone." The woman replied as Onoki huffed. Hearing his granddaughter talk in such a manner made her seem far more like him than normal, and that was something he was unsure was a good thing.

"I could have, but I didn't. If you are worried about his safety and wellbeing, maybe you should tell him yourself." Onoki replied as the girl's scowl increased in severity and her face turned a slight shade of red at the notion that she cared about Akito; something that, despite the fact that he could not see it, caused the Tsuchikage to grin.

"Besides, you'd be a fool if you couldn't see how important this was to him... for whatever reason." He added as Kurotsuchi huffed and watched Akito disappear from the rooftops in the distance, refusing to acknowledge the flustered look across her face as she buried the rage inside of her. What was the reason exactly, and why did he care so much for these two?

A short while later and quite a distance away Kisa's eyes opened for the first time since their battle with Kiri's Anbu nearly a week ago, although unlike Akito she didn't wake peacefully and instead shot forward from her bed with a loud gasp for air. Over her long slumber she was unaware of time or her surroundings, but what she could feel was the almost lifelike dream she had was stuck in as it replayed her against Raigetsu and the others; always ending as Akito knelt by her side to help and protect her and never revealing the boy's fate.

Bringing herself up to a seated position with both of her arms as her heart raced the girl's eyes rapidly darted around in search of either of her friends. She could almost immediately tell that the room she was in was one that she had never before seen, though the question remained as to where she and the others were.

"A-Akito?" She called out after a brief second as the memories of his smile and voice echoed through her mind, ending on his worried face as he attempted to force her to heal herself, though her attention shifted Takao who, at last glance, was fighting off multiple Anbu in an attempt to keep them from reaching her and Akito. He too had been in her dreams, causing to fear for his well being as well.

"Takao?" The girl questioned next, only to grunt in fear after another period of silence. What if something bad happened to them? What if by some odds she was the only one who had survived? No, no Akito and Takao couldn't be dead, they simply must not have heard her.

"T-Takao." She called again through her increasing despair, although before she could receive an answer a sudden and extremely strong burning sensation came over her, originating from the curse mark on her neck. With a small grunt of pain the girl instantly reached up and grabbed her mark as she again was forced to endure another flashback; this time to their conversation by the fireside on the night of Jun's death.

_"I didn't do it because I wanted an apology. I did it because… you are m-my friend."_ His voice repeated as her teeth clenched together tightly in line with her fingers on her back while inside her chest her heart pounded against her rib cage. They couldn't be dead!

Unable to contain her mounting anxiety and fear Kisa again looked up at the room around her as her lips opened to speak, though this time her question came out closer to a scream.

"Akito!" She cried as she grabbed at her back and painfully leaned forward with the intent to call his name again, but before she could do so her eyes darted up the bedroom door as it opened and revealed a figure hidden by the sun at their back; the sight of which immediately caused the girl's eyes to widen and the seal on her back to cease it's inflammatory spread.

In excitement that this could be one of her friends Kisa drew in a breath to ward off the sob building behind her lips, though as the person before her shut the door behind them it became clear that this was neither Takao nor Akito, but Konoha's Hokage herself; the legendary Sannin, Tsunade. She had never seen her before save for pictures in news articles from the Land of Fire following her appointment, but it was clear that this was her.

Gasping once more in shock the Hidden Mist kunoichi immediately attempted to stand to her feet to appropriately greet the Hokage as tradition dictated only to fall directly to the floor, causing Tsunade to hurry to her side to pick her back up.

"Whoa there, I think we are a little too weak to be standing right now." She stated as she carefully grabbed the embarrassed and disoriented girl's left arm and lifted her back onto the bed, bringing Kisa to hold her breath.

"Madam Hokage, I…" She replied as her nervous eyes darted around the room once again, desperately trying to make sense. It was clear that she must have been in Konoha, but where exactly was she? This wasn't like any hospital she had ever been in before; was this the Hokage's house? If that was the case Akito's plan to make it to Knoha had succeeded somehow, but where was he?

"Where am I, h-how did I get here? Where's Akito and Takao?!" She rapidly questioned as the burning in her neck returned in tandem with the panic coming over her as Tsunade placed her hand on her shoulder and shook her head to reassure her that everything was alright. She could see the seal spreading up her neck from beneath her bandages and the last thing she needed to do was work herself up so badly that her curse took control.

"It's okay, everything is alright; both Takao and Akito are safe." She said in a soft tone as she watched the seal on her neck begin to retract, bringing her to sigh in relief as the girl's eyes shot up and locked to hers in relief.

"T-They are? W-What happened?" Kisa questioned in search of reassurance as the tears that were welling up in her eyes ran down her face, bringing Tsunade to form a kind smile.

"Yes they are, I'm not lying. From what I can gather your friend Takao and Akito made a run for it after you passed out. They made it almost all the way to the village gates before they were caught by your fellow Anbu, but Akito managed to signal some of our ninja to help." She stated as Kisa lowered her head and took a deep breath of relief while still fighting the tight, nauseous feeling in her stomach.

As much as a relief as it was knowing that they were safe there were still far too many questions on the table for her mind to easily return to ease, causing her to bite her lip. What happened? Why did she act like she did; why did she lose control and descend into an almost savage rage, leaving her with nothing but an overwhelming bloodlust directed towards Raigetsu and his team?

"I-I don't know what happened, I… I blacked out after this… this thing took control of me." The girl replied as she again grasped the bandages hiding the seal on her neck, bringing Tsunade to tilt her head a bit to the side in thought.

"That is common with these things it appears. The curse feeds off of your emotions, waiting for you to become so angered, so enraged that your will falters, allowing _his_ influence to take control." She stated, bringing Kisa's eyes widened with audible grunt. His influence? Did she mean the man they encountered in the Otogakure facility? Did that mean that he was controlling her somehow?

"Orochimaru… controlled me?" Kisa questioned out loud in shock as the Fifth shook her head.

"Yes. We've seen this before in one of our own: the curse mark somehow acts as a way for Orochimaru to infiltrate his intent and control on to someone else, which along with the seal's ability to supercharge a victim with chakra creates a dangerous situation… especially when that person possesses a kekkei genkai." Tsunade added as the girl's eyes darted to hers from the corner of her eye.

"M-My kekkei genkai… was that why h-h targeted me?" She questioned as Tsunade looked at her for a moment and nodded.

"Most likely. From what Akito said it seemed Orochimaru was after him but that the snake grabbed you instead. If that is the case it seems that the only common factor is the possession of a kekkei genkai." She replied as Kisa's thoughts again returned to Akito and Takao, bringing her to look around once more.

"W-Where's Takao and A-Akito? You said that they are safe... but are they okay? The men we were fighting… p-please tell me they are alright." Kisa stated as Tsunade stared at her with a small grin. She could see that she was just as concerned about their well being as Akito had been about her's and their chef friend, offering a bit more insight as to the nature of their connection.

"Yes Kisa. In fact, Takao is probably on his way back here to make us all dinner as we speak. He's been doing so pretty much every day so far." She replied as Kisa's eyes softened a bit. Knowing Takao was alright was an amazing feeling, but the fashion in which the Hokage refrained from answering the second half of her question mirrored Akito's as he told her of Jun's death, causing her to hold her breath in fear.

"A-And Akito? W-Where is Akito?" The girl asked as she her lip and clenched her fists tightly at her sides; an expression of fear that worsened as Tsunade's expression hardened. The kunoichi before her was already in a state of emotional distress, how would she take the news that the boy she was worried about wasn't there?

"Akito's… returned home to Iwa. He said that with everything that had happened he had no choice but to return in order to keep the Tsuchikage from worrying." She replied, causing Kisa's eyes to widen as her fear for the boy's condition quickly faded and was replaced with shock and disappointment.

"B-Back to Iwa?" She asked aloud as her mind fell back to its previous state of overdrive. Returned to Iwa? He promised to help them see this through, to help prove their innocence; why would he go back to the Hidden Stone?

"He promised that he would be back, though when exactly I'm not sure. He said a couple of days but… that's not a guarantee." Tsunade added, once again causing the girl to look at her before looking back at the blanket covering her lap as a rush of sadness and anger came over her.

Was he actually going to come back? He had never broken a promise before, but would this be the time he actually did? Was he finally taking his chance to leave them behind? Could he really have abandoned them?

"He… he l-left us..." The shocked girl stuttered as she tried to logically piece Akito's departure together while subconsciously bringing her hands towards her heart, though as they neared she felt something odd hanging from her neck that was never there before.

Curious to what it was Kisa grasped the object within her fingers and raised it up to her eyes, bringing a shocked gasp to force it's way between her lips at the realization that the object in her hands was none other than Akito's necklace; the gold and emerald symbol of his clan reflecting bright in the late afternoon sun.

"A-Akito's… n-necklace? Why do I have it?" She questioned under her breath, bringing Tsunade to focus on the object in her hand as well, which she had taken notice to several days ago while tending to her daily routine for Kisa's care.

"I'm not sure. Takao said that he saw the boy place it around your neck the morning he left." The Hokage stated before stopping to filter through what she believed she should be telling the girl and what she shouldn't, both to avoid overwhelming her as well as due to her having just woken up after nearly a week in a coma.

"He wanted to wait until you woke up to leave, sitting nearly all day and night by your side for you to do so, but after a few days he couldn't wait any longer. I know he will be back." She added as Kisa's blue orbs again shot to her while across her cheeks blush formed. He spent his whole time there sitting by her bedside? Was he really that worried? Was that why he left his necklace for her?

Looking over at the empty chair beside her bed, Kisa's mind again became flooded with another forced memory, filling her eyes with Akito as he first explained the meaning of the necklace.

"_Each Himaku clan member is given one when we are born. Its intended to remind us that we are never alone, as well as a sign of safety and even love."_ He stated with a smile as Kisa's breath quivered, both at the memory as well as the sudden sharp pain that pierced through her head and caused her left hand to grab her temple.

Seeing her sudden painful expression, Tsunade reached forward and again placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, prompting Kisa to shake her head.

"I-I'm okay, I…" She stated as she looked back to the Hokage for a second before quickly lowering her head, realizing now that not only was she in the presence of the most powerful kunoichi in all of the Land of Fire, but that she had also been extremely informal with such a prominent figure in the ninja world.

"F-Forgive me Madam Hokage, I… my name is Kisa Hakaru. T-Thank you for taking care of me." She stated with great embarrassment as Tsunade, who's eyes widened in surprise, laughed at how flustered and manic the girl had become.

"At ease there Kisa, I already know all about you from your friend Takao; there is no need to apologize." The Hokage replied as she looked over the girl's bandages for any sign of soiling or seeping blood, as well as to guarantee that her mark's activation had been averted.

"To answer your question from before you are at my home here in Konoha. I've been keeping a close eye on you ever since you came to me nearly a week ago. How are you feeling?" She questioned as Kisa looked down at her bandaged arms and reached over to feel her injured side, keeping one hand on Akito's necklace as she did so.

"I'm alright. M-My side's a bit sore and it burns a little, but it's not too bad." She stated as Tsunade nodded.

"It's going to be sore. The man who injured you pierced into your lung and delivered a hefty dose of poison directly into your bloodstream, though I believe that much of that burning is actually a result of the ninjutsu Akito used to keep you alive." She stated, peaking Kisa's curiosity.

"Ninjutsu? Akito i-isn't a medical ninja… what did he do?" Kisa countered as Tsunade rubbed her chin. She knew that Kisa was a medical ninja, so her interest was not at all unexpected.

"He used his explosive clay to create a semi-porous wound closure that seeped into your wound and hardened to close off much of the internal bleeding, likely keeping you alive long enough to make it here alive. It was a bit difficult to remove without Akito's help while he was unconscious as well and might have caused some scar tissue, but I suspect that you will recover fully." Tsunade replied as Kisa continued to keep her eyes locked to her in surprise as she cringed.

The thought of having a clay-like substance forced inside of an open wound and then drying like glue was something that almost made her nauseous, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel overcome with a strange flutter in her stomach. Akito really saved her life by doing this? What was with this boy, why did he seem to be capable of so much and why did the thought that he saved her seem to fill her with a strange, heartwarming feeling?

Deep in thought Kisa again looked down at Akito's necklace and gently ran her thumb over the green emerald in it's center as Tsunade watched.

"As far as the poison goes that has all been cleared out of your system thanks to my lovely assistant, leaving only one real challenge in your recovery remaining." Tsunade continued to break the girl's silence, bringing the girl's eyes back to hers.

"The c-curse mark." Kisa replied as Tsunade nodded.

"Exactly." The Hokage stated as she took a deep breath and looked out to the sun in the distance to concentrate her thoughts.

"Curse marks and seals are something we've never really encountered before and as such is quite the uncharted territory to explore, and the little of what we do know is from the few examples we've ran into here in Konoha. Each case of branding seems to be unique in some way, but there are some basic truths that seems to be carried by a cursed person no matter what. There is no set, concurrent effect a seal can have on a person's body. This could be based on individual seals or even a person's constitution, but no one curse seems to be like another, nor are their effects. Some people are controlled while others _lose_ control." She began, rattling off the facts in a manner of which she knew Kisa would understand as a fellow medic.

"All curses seem to have stages in their development; three in total. The first stage, the initial branding, is the point at which a person is introduced to the curse. This could be viewed as the most dangerous of all the stages as from what we can tell there is a significantly low rate of success of integration, with those who fail to bond to the seal dying shortly after its application. So, as hard as it to believe, you are already through a rather tough part of this whole thing."

"The second stage is the first real activation of the seal and starts when a person becomes stressed, injured, or emotionally distraught. The curse mark will begin to burn as from it's point of application it spreads out across the skin, covering a person's body and granting them access to a portion of Orochimaru's chakra capacity fused into the curse. From what Takao and Akito have told me, as well as what I witnessed only a few moments ago as you began to worry about them, this seems to be where you are at." Tsunade continued as Kisa swallowed nervously. She could remember seeing the seals spreading down her arms and hands right before she lost control of herself.

"I-If that's the second stage, what's the third? H-How could it get any worse?" She questioned as Tsunade looked back to her.

"Well the third is where our information begins to lack. We've only had two encounters with a stage three curse mark so far, but it appears that third stage was something from a horror story. The user receives a massive boost in chakra as well as varying bodily mutations that could be influenced by kekkei genkai, though that is not entirely confirmed." The Hokage replied as the girl to her side again gasped from the nervous tension coming over her.

"We… saw men like that in the Land of Sound. Their skin and hair was dark, unnatural colors and they had these… inhuman body mutations they used as weapons. A, I-I going to be a monster l-like them?" Kisa asked with obvious fear as her grip on the necklace grew tighter. Was that what she was going to become? Some sort of mutated, seemingly mindless drone?

Noting her obvious worry Tsunade immediately shook her head.

"No, we are not going to let that happen to you. While we have not come to definitive cure or way to remove a curse seal we have discovered and formulated ways to mitigate its growth as well as Orochimaru's control, but we felt it was best to wait until you've recovered from your injuries before putting your body through yet another trauma." She replied as Kisa again looked to her and stared for a few seconds before subtly nodding with a small sigh of relief.

Though she had just been introduced to the hokage moments before she had known of Tsunade's feats as a medical ninja that ultimately led to her selection as the fifth hokage for quite some time. If there was one person she trusted would know what to do with this terrible affliction it was Tsunade, regardless if she was the leader of another village or not.

Yet, her mind continued to rush as her eyes again looked down and locked onto the jewelry in her hand. Why would he give this to her, especially after she mocked him for having such a thing? Why was he doing any of this after the way they treated him?

"Thank you again, Madam Hokage… for everything." She replied with a somber tone as the woman before her smiled a bit and looked towards the bedroom door. Takao would be home soon and she had no doubt that he would be ecstatic to see his friend awake after such a long time asleep.

"Stop it, you don't need to thank me. Don't be like Akito, all formal and proper." The Hokage replied as Kisa bit the inside of her lip, bringing Tsunade to speak again.

"Why don't we go out to the living room and get you out of this bed for a while?" She questioned, bringing the girl to look up at her for a moment, then down at the floor as she nodded and carefully moved herself to the side of the bed. Having been off of her feet for what she now knew was a week she could feel just how weak she had become, causing her to fall right back onto the bed as she attempted to stand.

Watching the girl weakly plop back to a seated position Tsunade couldn't help but laugh, though she maintained her soft smile to ensure the girl that she was not laughing at her in a hurtful way.

"Your legs are likely a bit weak having spent so much time laying down, I'll help you." She stated as she stood and gently helped her stand before allowing the girl to lean on her as they made their way through the bedroom door out into the living room towards the couch Akito had spent his nights on.

"Easy. Easy." Tsunade coached as they came to the couch and sat Kisa down on it; her rapid breathing a clear sign to both of them that she was indeed very weak, though that was to be expected given everything they had been through.

"T-Thank you Madam… I mean, Lady Tsunade." Kisa said as Tsunade sat on the chair beside her and laughed.

"That's a little better I guess." She replied before taking a small breath and watching the girl begin to speak again.

"I'm guessing Takao and Akito told you everything already… about the trouble we are in?" Kisa questioned as the Hokage nodded.

"Yes they did. They also mentioned that you two had lost a teammate in the process. I'm very sorry to hear that… that sort of thing never gets any easier." Tsunade responded as Kisa's eyes lowered a bit with a single nod.

"Jun, he… he didn't have to die. T-This whole thing was a mistake…" The young kunoichi replied.

"That's what I've heard. If it is any consolation I believe your story and have agreed to grant you asylum her in Konoha for as long as it takes to remedy this situation." The Hokage added, bringing the girl's attention back to in disbelief. Everything seemed to be going wrong for them these past few days, from the failure of their mission and Jun's death now to Akito leaving; if one thing could go right and that one thing was this, that would help ease her troubled mind immensely.

"R-Really? Y-You would do that for us?" She questioned in surprise as she clutched at her chest involuntarily in an effort to quell her pounding heart; the thought that the Hokage would be as kind as to let them stay nearly too much for her to bear, causing tears to once again well up in her eyes as Tsunade smiled.

"Of course! I'm not going to just throw you to the wolves, especially when the matter has become a Konoha one. That's not our way." The Hokage replied as Kisa bit her lip and sniffed back her tears before the sudden sound of a door knob turning brought both women to look over towards the residence's main entrance, where moments later both Shizune and Takao emerged from the hallway.

"I'm telling you're just trying to show off. That the pre-made dough tastes just the same as fresh." Shizune stated as she looked back towards her tall, blonde companion as he too entered and remained oblivious to both Kisa and Tsunade's presence thanks to the two large bags of groceries in his arms.

"And I'm telling _you_ it doesn't. Trust me, one taste of my grandmother's homemade dumpling recipe and you will be begging to visit every holiday." Takao replied with a small laugh while kicking the door shut behind him and preparing to head towards the counter, though as he caught light of the two kunoichi sitting in the room from the corner of his eye he immediately froze.

"Kisa." He stated as his eyes widened and focused on the girl who, in her own emotional reaction, began to form tears of joy in her eyes as she began to stand to her feet.

However, before she could take a step Takao quickly placed his grocery order on top of a side table and moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight yet cautious hug as Kisa did the same.

"I'm so glad you are alright!" She exclaimed as she grabbed onto the sleeveless shirt he was wearing to support herself, bringing Takao to grin.

"I was fine, it was you we've been worried about. You gave us quite the scare." He replied as Kisa pulled away from his chest and wiped her eyes before sitting back down.

"I know, I'm sorry. I-I never wanted to make you two worry. I'm sorry." She repeated, watching as Kun shook his head and sat beside her.

"It's not your fault that we worried, but I sure am happy you're finally awake." He questioned as he reached out and patted her arm, bringing the girl to smile as she desperately tried to hide her lingering sadness at the knowledge of Akito's departure.

"Me too. I feel like I've already missed too much." She replied as Takao slowly nodded, understanding what it was that she meant with little need of any further context.

"She already told you about Akito huh?" He questioned as the girl looked down in shame and nodded, still in surprise that Akito had spent all of his time by her side. What would she have done if she had opened her eyes and found him sitting there? Would she have preferred that to the empty room? Was that why her heart felt empty without him there?

"Yes, she did." Kisa responded as Takao tilted his head and grinned in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Come on now, he'll be back. You know he will. He wouldn't have left you that if he didn't plan to come back." He stated with a widening smile as he pointed towards the necklace laying across her chest, bringing her to again look down and take it in her hands. According to Tsunade, Takao witnessed Akito place the necklace on her; maybe he said something to him about why he would give her something so important to him.

"You saw him give this to me, right? Did he… say why? This piece of jewelry is a clan heirloom… why would he give me this?" She asked after a brief silence, to which Takao shook his head.

"I'm not sure… guess you'll have to ask him when he comes back." The man responded with a smile in an attempt to drive home his belief that the boy would be back, causing Kisa to let out a small sigh as she nodded and turned her attention to the setting sun outside, as well as the necklace in her hand.

"I guess so."

Staring out into the same sunset from his position sitting atop the Tsuchikage's tower, Akito let out a small, thoughtful sigh. As his sensei had requested the boy had every intention to spend the night in his home village as well as check in with the Tsuchikage before heading back out to the Land of Fire, though that couldn't stop him from reverting back to all of the worry in his head.

No matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop thinking about Kisa, wondering both about her condition as well as the road moving forward, including where they would go from there. Regardless of how generous Tsunade was feeling he knew that she could not keep them within Konoha's walls forever, but if for some reason they didn't work things out with Kiri where we they go?

Sure, he had more than enough pull to weasel them amnesty and citizenship in Iwagakure should they so choose to accept it, but part of him doubted that Kisa would be willing to do so, and even less of him believed he could ever have the heart to ask her to move to a place she hated so deeply. They would be forced to find refuge somewhere else; somewhere he couldn't follow.

The Tsuchikage had been kind enough to grant him this leave of absence to finish his with the pair back in the Hidden Leaf but there was no way he would ever allow them to continue on to a place like Kumogakure or Sunagakure should that be where the two had to go, driving a sharp spike in his side. How could he send them off without ever knowing their fate or without knowing they were safe?

Better yet how, at this point, could he ever send them off at all? He had only spent the better part of the last four days by himself save for chance encounters with passing strangers, but yet he felt far more alone than the past four years of his life combined; his loner nature he had become so akin to seemingly ruined by his short bout with the shinobi from the Hidden Mist. Why was this happening, why did he feel this way? Why was life without Kisa so hard to imagine?

Lifting his head back up straight from it's canted position down at the sudden detection of a presence the boy's eyes shifted sharply to his right as from a maroon colored flickered emerged his sensei's guard and childhood friend Kurotsuchi; her face already containing a wide, ear-to-ear smile.

"So? What's this girl like?" She immediately questioned, placed both of her hands on her hips and huffed as Akito stared at her for a moment before returning his brown orbs to the sun; both of which were now clearly defined from the star's bright light.

"Have you really come to mock me?" The boy replied without much expression as the girl beside him huffed to pretend to be insulted by his notion.

"Me? Akito Himaku, I am insulted." She replied to try and make the boy laugh, though as he remained deadpanned and attentive to the sunset she sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you are not very good at taking jokes." The girl added after a moment, once again drawing Akito's attention to her for a second before looking down at the village below. He knew Kurotsuchi well enough to understand that this was about as good of an apology he was going to get from her, so whether or not it was effective was completely up to him.

"Whatever. It's fine." He replied softly as the girl looked back down at him, grinned once more and then sat beside him with her back against the same long range radio antenna he was leaning on.

"Well come on, tell me about this Kisa chick. I wasn't joking when I asked to know what she was like." She stated again as she made herself comfortable, causing him to look at her from the corners of his eyes before taking a deep breath in preparation for what could easily be yet another ribbing.

"What do you want to know? She's a kunoichi from the Hidden Mist." He replied as the girl scoffed and shook her head. Having been used to Akito's usual attempts to hide his feelings from her she expected nothing less for his initial reply, but that wasn't going to stop her from finding out what she wanted to know.

"Something tells me she's not just some Hidden Mist kunoichi Akito, especially if you are willing to return to that god-awful village to see her." Kurotsuchi stated as Akito stared forward at the village below; his arms resting on his knees hiding the fact that he was gently biting his lip in confusion as to what to say.

"She's… different. I can't explain it." He stated as he swallowed nervously.

"Different as in the last girl you found different, or even more different?" Kurotsuchi immediately asked, catching a short glare from Akito before he returned his eyes to the sun.

"Different." He replied softly as the girl continued to stare at him for a moment before sighing.

"Well whatever you do just watch yourself out there. Like the old man said, you may trust Konoha, but that doesn't mean they trust you." Kurotsuchi stated as their eyes met briefly, bringing the girl to look away to avoid feeling or expressing any kind of sentimental emotion for him to pick up, though seeing her version of worry brought a small grin to his face.

Although things between them had often resorted to fighting Kurotsuchi had always been one of his closest friends. The two of them were nearly inseparable during their earliest days at the academy and on more than one occasion they had been referred to as a couple, irking Kurotsuchi to no end.

This notion even caught the eye of his father, who often held little regard for such trivial things. He even went as far as attempting to encourage the boy to follow these feelings if they were in fact true, though he had always assumed this was some sort of power play to integrate their two clans rather than his father actually caring about either of their emotions.

"I'll be careful, don't worry." He replied as he turned back once more to the sun and slowly allowed his grin to dissipate back to the expressionless look he had been harboring for most of the evening; his mind returning to his friends in Konoha, hoping everything was going well and wondering if Kisa had woken up yet. If so, was she looking at this sunset as well?


	14. Chapter 14: Hope

Over the course of the next two days Kisa continued to remain under Tsunade's close supervision while she slowly regained her strength, spending the better part of both day's on her feet with the aid of her caretakers until she was once again able to stand and walk on her own for short periods of time; a rapid progression that caught the Fifth Hokage by surprise.

Given her rather extensive injuries as well as the power of Orochimaru's hex they had calculated that the young Mist ninja would have spent at least the rest of the week on bedrest, though it was relatively that much of her success was likely due to the fact that she was doing absolutely everything she could to hurry the process along.

Much like herself Tsunade could see that she hated being a burden as much as she hated relying on others for help; a fact that she found rather commendable as well as a great sign of just how resilient the girl was, regardless of the fact that beneath her confident, determined demeanor Kisa was trying her best to keep it all together, as instructed.

In order to keep her curse mark from taking hold before they could place the aforementioned counter seal to keep it in check she was forced to remain calm and in control of her thoughts, despite the fact that these thoughts were filled with nothing but worry.

It had been over a week since their fight against Kiriakure's Anbu and yet they had heard nothing from either the village nor Raigetsu himself, causing her to become uneasy. It was not like the Hidden Mist to allow a rogue-nin whose whereabouts were known to go free even if they were being granted refuge in another village, and while she knew that the Mizukage would never allow Anbu to operate inside of Konoha she was shocked that they had yet to receive any sort of official contest to their status as refugees.

This thought went hand in hand with the knowledge that while they were safe inside Konoha, Akito was out there on the open road, completely exposed and on his own. By helping them escape their hunters she had no doubt that he had been labeled as wanted in Kiri's Bingo Book and with his status as a member of the Explosive Corps he likely received double the average bounty, furthering her worry.

Making matters worse was the fact that he had yet to return to Konoha like he said he would. Having never travelled to Iwagakure or even to the Land of Earth before she was not entirely sure how long his journey should have taken him but from what Tsunade said he would likely be arriving back in Konoha any day now, though this only served to make her more anxious.

While most of her truly believed he would keep his promise as he had always done before there was part of her that feared she would never see him again; that he had taken this as his time to sever ties with them and that she would never get to thank him properly for everything he had done or get the chance to ask him why he would leave his necklace with her. With each day that passed without his appearance she found herself becoming more and more concerned, so much so that come the beginning of her fourth day awake she herself unable to sit by and wait for his return any longer.

Approaching the Hokage early in the morning before she could set off for her office, Kisa requested permission to help with anything she might need in an effort to earn their keep, though Tsunade immediately declined with the notion that doing so was completely unnecessary. However, the girl remained adamant in her desire to assist her generous hosts, bringing Tsunade to hatch a clever idea.

Having been tied up with caring for Kisa and keeping an eye on Takao while Tsunade tended to her duties as Hokage, Shizune had been unable to make her rounds at Konoha's hospital to check in with several of the village's most critical patients. If she were to have Takao accompany her to her office for the day that would free Shizune as well as Kisa, a medical ninja herself, to head off to the hospital to help tend to others in need; a plan that Kisa accepted without even having to be officially asked.

Walking side by side down Konoha's crowded streets after both women had prepared for the day, Shizune maintained a close eye on her assistant for the day, noting her somewhat pained yet confident stride as Kisa's eyes darted back and forth between all of the shops, people and atmosphere the Hidden Leaf had to offer. This place was so different than Kiri and was likely even more distant from Iwagakure, causing her to wonder how Akito reacted the first time he came here.

"How are you feeling? Still alright?" The woman questioned as Kisa's eyes returned to her, causing her to form a small grin as she nodded and looked down at her feet; her legs covered by a simple pair of Konoha's navy-blue shinobi pants while an almost salmon colored sweatshirt covered her chest in direct contrast.

"I'm okay. It's… a bit further than I've walked so far, but I think it's what my legs need." Kisa replied as Shizune smiled in response. She sure was tough, that was certain.

"Alright, just let me know if you need to take a break. You are doing good though, and we are almost there." She stated as Kisa nodded and returned her attention to all of the people around her, none of which seemed to suspect her of being anything other than one of them, even with her strange colored hair that bow flowed freely with the absence of her forehead protector.

"If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are we coming to see Lady Shizune? I overheard Lady Tsunade speaking of one man in particular that she was concerned about… I'm assuming that is why she has chosen you to personally check on him." Kisa questioned as her eyes focused on several Hidden Leaf chunin walking by, one of which caused her to cringe as he winked her way while beside her Shizune laughed.

"Well I do occasionally check on all of Konoha's critically ill shinobi as part of my duties as Tsunade's assistant, but the man she spoke of in particular is actually one of the village's top jonin; Kakashi Hatake." Shizune replied as Kisa tilted her head a bit to the side in thought.

"Konoha's copy ninja? The man who defeated the Demon, Zabuza Momochi?" She questioned having the thought still somewhat fresh in her mind after meeting another of the mission's participants several weeks ago, to which Shizune nodded.

"Yes, him. He ran into a member of the Akatsuki a few weeks ago and, well… let's just say he's very lucky to be alive." She replied as Kisa swallowed nervously. Zabuza Momochi was considered one of the most dangerous shinobi ever produced by Yagura's Kirigakure; a fact that spoke more than words could about the man who killed him. Were the Akatsuki really this powerful?

Making their way the rest of the distance to the hospital through the crowded streets the two began their day off with some simpler tasks designed not only to test Kisa's skills but to see how far she had recovered as well.

Starting her off with a brief stint in the hospital's Emergency Room handling some of the village's more mundane emergencies Shizune quickly found herself impressed by Kisa's quick thinking and diagnostic skills as well as the quality of her medical ninjutsu, resulting in them rapidly making their way up to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit and eventually to the room of the man they had come to see specifically.

Knocking on the door as more of a formality than anything, Shizune waited for the bedridden man inside to welcome them in before proceeding into the rather empty hospital room. Almost immediately Kisa's eyes locked to the grey-haired man as he sat in a seated position staring out the bedroom window, his grey hair and half-covered his face matching exactly how she would imagine it in his description in Kiri's bingo book.

"Good afternoon Kakashi, how are you feeling today?" She questioned as she stepped inside, allowing Kisa to do the same before she turned and shut the door behind her.

"I was wondering when you would be stopping by." The man in the bed before them stated as he turned towards what he expected would be the Hokage's assistant and one of the nurses from the hospital, though upon spotting the girl in the pink hoodie behind her his exposed eye widened.

"I see you've got a new helper." Kakashi added, bringing Shizune to smile and step to the side as she motioned her hand towards Kisa.

"This is Kisa Hakaru. She and her partner are visiting with us from Kirigakure." The woman stated as Kakashi stared at the girl with a tinge of curiosity as he laughed under his breath.

"So you must be one of the Mist shinobi who showed up at the gates last week. I heard all about it." He stated as he placed the book he had been reading to the side and tried to adjust himself in his bed, causing him to grunt in pain as Shizune shook her head.

"Easy now. You were just starting to feel better and if you keep pushing yourself are going to stunt your recovery." She stated as Kakashi huffed.

"Y-Yeah well, I'm getting really bored just sitting here. Do you have any idea how difficult it is just lounging around?" Kakashi questioned in response as Kisa took a step closer to the man and tilted her head a bit to the side in thought, running over just how rough of shape he was in. His legs seemed to be inoperable while his arms, which she could see held little visible injury thanks to the sleeveless shirt he had been wearing, trembled at any strenuous activity, making him seem almost completely crippled.

"Your wounds don't appear to be physical Mr. Hatake, but yet you seem to be in great pain. What happened? Was it a poison?" The girl questioned having just suffered through a poisoning herself, though as Shizune looked to her she shook her head.

"It was a genjutsu, cast by the Akatsuki's premier genjutsu user, Itachi Uchiha." She replied as Kisa looked to her and then back to Kakashi in thought. The last name Uchiha was common place in Kiri as their clan matched the notoriety of the Explosion Corp in perceived danger, though unlike the Corp they were thought to be nearly extinct.

"It must have been quite the fearsome genjutsu to affect a legendary ninja such as yourself, as I have a hard time imagining that whatever this Uchiha unleashed could be worse than the merciless tactics employed by the Demon of the Mist." Kisa responded, instantly causing Kakashi to laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Now now, I think the term 'legendary' might be going a bit far." He replied as he returned his eye to hers and let out a deep sigh.

"But to answer your question, yes it was. The Uchiha's genjutsu abilities should never be underestimated, as when used to its fullest extent it could cause irreversible damage in a matter of seconds. All of this is… lucky." The man added as Kisa stared at him for a moment before following his attention over to Shizune as she spoke again.

"Which is why you should be taking it easy. Lay back, relax and read that awful book Naruto brought you from your house." The woman stated as Kakashi chuckled.

"This one? I've already read it nearly six times in the last two days. What I really need right now is a drink." He replied as he looked past Shizune to the windowsill behind her where a short glass sat, filled nearly to the brim with orange juice.

"Could you possibly hand that to me? The nurse moved it earlier when she came in to check on me and, well, there it is." Kakashi questioned as both of the women before him looked at what he was looking at, bringing Shizune to nod.

Without question Shizune picked up the glass and turned to hand it over to the thirsty shinobi with his hands outstretched for it, though before she could hand it over Kisa motioned for her to stop, catching both of them by surprise.

Holding the glass inches from their patient's fingers Shizune grinned as she watched Kisa carefully twitch her fingers and create several round pieces of ice above the glass, which then dropped into the juice to act as ice cubes as Kakashi's eye widened in surprise.

"Ice Release? Well isn't that something." He stated, recalling the only other person he had ever met who possessed this unique kekkei genkai as Shizune handed him the glass.

"Yup. On top of being a more than capable medical-nin Kisa here is blessed with quite the unique gift." Shizune stated as Kisa smiled a bit and shook her head a bit to downplay her praise.

"I'm just a normal Mist kunoichi Lady Shizune, kekkei genkai or not." She replied as Shizune shook her head.

"No kunoichi is normal, Kisa. We are all different and unique. Don't think otherwise." The woman countered as Kakashi snuck a sip into his mouth without the two noticing with a satisfactory grunt.

"She's right, and there is no reason why you should hide that gift of yours either… especially when it can do great things like instantly cool drinks." He stated, bringing Kisa to chuckle as Shizune shook her head.

"I'm sure she can do a lot more than just that." She responded as Kakashi carefully waved his hand in apologetic manner.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it as an insult. I know for a fact that Ice Release can be a very useful ninjutsu style, I was simply just stating what was in my view." The man stated in an attempt to make himself feel less insulting, though as he did Kisa's eyes widened.

"Know for a fact? You've seen this before?" She instantly questioned out of curiosity as Kakashi stared at her for a moment before nodding his head.

"Yes. Ironically it was during my team's fight with Zabuza years ago. He had a boy named Haku with him who was capable of utilizing Ice Release." Kakashi responded as Kisa bit her lip. Never before in her life had she heard of someone else being capable of using Ice Release, bringing her to believe she was one of the last that possessed it. Could there really be others like her out there?

"This Haku… is he still alive?" She questioned with a hint of hope, only to be let down a few moments later as the jonin shook his head.

"No, unfortunately. He sacrificed his life to try and save Zabuza's." Kakashi replied as Kisa's small bit of excitement disappeared from her face. From what she understood Zabuza was a bloodthirst, uncaring and unfeeling man, leaving it hard to understand why someone would sacrifice themselves for such a monster.

"Oh… that is unfortunate." She stated as Shizune looked to her and upon spotting her disheartened look stepped forward to break her from her thoughts. She was doing well with both her recovery and controlling her emotions, and the last thing they needed was for her to become upset by this and lose control.

"Well Kakashi I'm glad to see you are feeling better, but if there is nothing else you need we must be on our way. We've got some other things to take care of around town before we head back home to give Tsunade an update on each of your conditions, and we both know how much she hates when people are late." The woman interjected as Kakashi looked to her and nodded.

"Ah, well I should be alright. I'm sure I'll be seeing you within the next few days again anyway." He stated as he turned back to Kisa and held his drink up, formed a small smile beneath his mask and nodded.

"I was nice to meet you Kisa Hakaru. Thank you for the ice." He added, once more causing Kisa to grin as she nodded and performed a small, traditional bow.

"Same to you, Mr. Hatake. Feel better soon."

Saying her own goodbye a moment later Shizune and Kisa set off from the hospital to the street below, once more making their way through the crowds of Konoha resident on their mid-afternoon business.

Again watching as Kisa's eyes darted around the village in silent observation, Shizune couldn't help but wonder about the girl's enthusiasm and subsequent let down. The way she questioned Kakashi about the boy named Haku it seemed that she was excited to hear someone else possessed the same Kekkei Genkai as her.

"Did you know the boy Kakashi was speaking of, Kisa?" She asked against her better judgement while carefully monitoring the girl's neck for any sign of her curse mark spreading, bringing Kisa to look at her as she shook her head.

"No, I didn't. I don't know anyone else with the same powers as me, and I was just hoping that maybe he was still alive. He would have been the first." The girl responded, once again catching Shizune by surprise.

Ice Release was known to be a rare trait all but lost to the world, but could it really be so rare that one of its own users believed it was extinct, even in the Land of Waves? What about her parents? Surely one of them must have been able to utilize the kekkei genkai.

"Your parents didn't have the Ice Release?" Shizune followed up as she looked back at the girl who, without looking to her, frowned and shook her head.

"No, my father didn't have a kekkei genkai and my mother wasn't even a shinobi. It's possible that maybe one of her relatives had the gene, but I never had the chance to ask her… she died giving birth to me." Kisa replied as Shizune bit her tongue.

Through conversation with Takao as well as what she had heard from Akito through Tsunade she knew that Kisa's father had been killed when she was young, but she didn't know that her mother was deceased as well.

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry, Kisa. I didn't know." The woman apologized as Kisa again shook her head and formed a small, saddened smile. Talking about her father was something she had never really done before, but given how generous and kind Shizune and Tsunade had been to her she found it hard to shut the woman out.

"It's okay Shizune, I've completely come to terms with it." She stated with a small laugh as her mind instinctively looked back on the discovery of her abilities in an attempt to cheer herself up.

"From what my father told me she never showed any knowledge of possessing a special bloodline, which made for quite the surprise when I formed ice out of thin air one day." Kisa added while they walked as her companion listened intently.

"I'm sure. I've heard of Kiri's long-time views on kekkei genkai wielders, so I can imagine it probably wasn't easy for you to accept." The woman replied as Kisa chuckled a bit.

"It wasn't and you are right; before I was born kekkei genkai users were often feared and persecuted, including those using Ice Release. When a was very young a clan specializing in this bloodline trait was pushed to the brink of extermination because of their abilities, so after finding out some years later that I too was a carrier for Ice Release my father was rather hesitant to allow me to capitalize on my abilities, even after receiving Mizukage Yagura's blessing." Kisa continued to explain as Shizune simply formed a small grin.

"Well through the ups and downs it seems that his decision to do so may have been the right thing to do, as it has produced quite the skillful, intelligent and caring kunoichi." Shizune replied, bringing Kisa once more to shake her head in embarrassment before shifting her eyes up at the sky; her mind now lingering on the memory of her father. Would he think these things of her as well if he could see her now?

Proceeding with the rest of Shizune's tasks for the day rather difficult for the recovering girl and by five in the afternoon she found herself struggling to keep up, prompting the woman to cut her day short and start heading back to the Hokage's residence despite Kisa's opposition. She didn't want to let Tsunade down by not completing all of the work that had been asked of them after she begged to be permitted to help, nor did she want her inability to continue to be the reason it wasn't completed, though Shizune quickly dispelled those worries from her mind.

Arriving back at the place she had come to accept as their home in Konoha for the time being, Kisa followed Shizune upstairs and immediately back into Tsunade's presence; the girl nearly out of breath as they made it to the top of the stairs. Hearing the knock at the door, Tsunade spun around on her chair at the kitchen counter as Takao looked over his shoulder.

"Come in." She permitted as the door opened and revealed both women who without hesitation moved inside and closed the door behind them.

"Hey you two, how did it go?" The Hokage questioned with a small smile at the sight of their exhausted guest. She knew that she would be tired after being on her feet all day, though she assumed it would have been much sooner than late afternoon. In fact she had nearly made it all the way through the day, as on a normal day Shizune would normally only return an hour or so later.

"It went well. As you suspected Kisa is an exceptional medical kunoichi with a great skill set and excellent bedside manner." Shizune stated, bringing Tsunade's grin to widen as she looked at the exhausted girl.

"I knew she would be, there wasn't much doubt there. The real question however is how do you feel?" The Hokage questioned as she motioned for Kisa to sit down on the couch, leaving the girl and her squad mate to smile at one another quickly before did as instructed.

"Tired, but fine otherwise. After spending so much time idle I expected my body to be sore after a long day. Thank you again for the opportunity to help out Lady Tsunade. I look forward to doing the same tomorrow." Kisa replied as she took a breath, causing Tsunade to chuckle at the girl's ambition.

"A bit demanding are we? Well, if that's what you want to do, I won't stop you, but I feel I must remind you that you don't _need_ to do anything. Nor do you, Takao." Tsunade replied through her laugh as she looked over at the blonde man behind her kitchen counter, busy preparing something for them all to eat.

"Are you kidding me? I'm enjoying myself. I'd almost forgotten about how relaxing cooking could be… especially when those you are cooking for truly enjoy it!" Takao replied with a wide grin as she set what he was working down, reached over the counter and picked up a white bottle from the other side.

"Besides, tonight's dinner will include this great, locally produced awamori, both in the meal itself and as a side drink so… it's going to be a good time." He added, bringing Shizune to sigh at the mention of alcohol and the Hokage in the same thought.

"Well before we move on to _that_, how was the rest of your day? Anything interesting happen while we were gone?" She questioned the Hokage who immediately shook her head.

"No, not really. I received some updates on the current batch of students at the academy, but that was about it." The woman replied as Shizune nodded involuntarily and walked over to the kitchen sink to watch her hands.

"All good news I hope. There are quite a few smart ones in this class from what I've seen, it would be a shame if some of them started slacking." Shizune questioned as Tsunade shook her head.

"Nah, nothing bad. They are all doing just fine." The Hokage responded, causing Takao to lift his head back up from the vegetables on the chopping board in front of him with a big grin.

"Anyone from the exchange program in this batch?" He asked without a second thought, bringing both of the Konoha kunoichi in the room to instantly look to him with a hint of confusion.

"Exchange program? What do you mean?" Shizune questioned out loud as Takao looked to her and then back to Tsunade upon seeing the former's curious expression.

"Akito told us that his time spent here in Konoha started as part of a genin exchange program when he was in the academy. Was he lying?" The man asked as Kisa's attention rapidly returned from Takao back to Tsunade with her own bit of intrigue.

From the surprised look on her face, it seemed that she too was unsure of what akao was speaking of, causing a small sensation of worry to form in her gut. Had Akito lied about his experiences in Konoha? No, that couldn't be possible. How else could an Iwagakure shinobi become so friendly with a traditionally hostile village, let alone become friends with said village's jinchuriki?

"No he was telling the truth, but that exchange program was shut down nearly eight years ago. Akito's group was the first and only class to participate." Tsunade replied, causing Kisa's eyes to widen.

"Shut down? From what Akito said it seemed it had gone well. Why would they discontinue something if it was working?" Kisa responded with a bit of disbelief, thinking back on what she herself had witnessed the boy being capable of. To her it seemed that he was certainly a rather exceptionally skilled shinobi; a feat she had been partially associating with his involvement with the exchange program. If that were the case, why would they get rid of it?

Looking to Kisa as she questioned the programs shutdown, Tsunade leaned back in her chair, placed her hands together and lifted them to her mouth in thought. The answer she appeared to be seeking was rather confidential, both to Konoha as well as Akito himself, so if she were to indeed answer it she would need to make sure it was done in a certain way as to not reveal too much. Though at the same time, with how deeply Akito seemed to care about this girl, she couldn't help but wonder if this was something Akito would want her to know in its fullest.

Deciding that this was not her decision to make the Hokage took a deep breath and carefully began to formulate her words before they could leave her mouth.

"When I first became Hokage I was tasked with sifting through mounds and mounds of the Third's paperwork in order to determine what was important and what was simply trash, during which time I happened to come across the Hokage's notes on the Genin Exchange Program. Ironically this too was destined for the trash heap would it not have been for the fact that I noticed the boy's picture at the top of the file, which, recognizing him from our encounter at Tanzaku Quarters some time before, beckoned me to open it." She began as Kisa shifted herself more towards the Hokage in an effort to provide her with her undivided attention.

"As I said before, Akito was part of the first and only class to participate, though of the class's participants Akito and his partner were regarded as the most successful and certainly the most efficient. On their first mission they managed to not only hold their own against two jonin from Kusagakure but also kill them both, regardless of their lack of experience as well as a third genin in their squad, as is tradition." Tsunade continued, once again causing Kisa's thoughts to run wild.

A team of two brand new genin taking down two jonin was impressive, even with the help of their sensei, but yet Akito described this mission as a failure; the sadness on his face as he talked about it still clear in her memory. Why had this mission failed and why was it so painful for him to talk about? Was this where the biggest scar on his left arm came from?

Even more troubling was her recollection that they boy stated he and his partner were the _only_ participants in the program, once more causing her to doubt Akito's story and wonder who's iteration was more accurate. Had he lied to make himself sound more prestigious, or was the Hokage trying to cover something up? Could it be possible that her second-hand information could be wrong?

"I'm… still confused. If it was going well, and Akito and his partner were evidence of this, why shut it down?" Takao questioned as if he was reading Kisa's mind, causing the girl to look up to him as Tsunade's own eyes shifted to him and then to Kisa before closing with a sigh.

"I guess you could say it was going very well based on those results, but from what I've read it seems it all fell apart not too long after when one of the student's betrayed their partner due to old-world grudges, resulting in a rather… catastrophic event that saw the program abolished." The Fifth replied, bringing the girl before her to widen her eyes.

A catastrophic event caused by grudges, what did that mean? Did one of the students kill their partner over something that happened to their ancestors or something? If so, how could their sensei allow for such a horrible thing to occur?

Was this catastrophic event somehow connected to Akito? If Tsunade's story was to be believed then it seemed like there was a slim chance of this, but if Akito was telling the truth then there was little room for him not to have been involved, if any.

Worse yet, if it were just he and his partner in the program it left a high chance that he could have even been there perpetrator, as hard as that was to believe. With how Tsunade spoke of the even it seemed that whatever had occurred was rather heinous… could Akito be capable of such a thing?

Subconsciously Kisa's eyes drifted to the floor while her right hand reached up and took the boy's necklace in her fingers once more, catching Tsunade's eye as the girl began to drift off into thought. She had caught the girl staring off into space several times over the past few days, a few of which while holding Akito's heirloom which, as far as she could tell, she had yet to take off.

To her this indicated that just as the boy had been worried sick about her wellbeing she was stricken with thoughts about him, though unlike Akito she had not been verbal about this distress; likely in an attempt to either hide her feelings or try to maintain control of curse mark on her neck, though the more likely reason seemed to be the former.

Dreading the awkward silence that fell over the room following Tsunade's answer to his seemingly dumb question Takao cleared his throat, bringing their Konoha guests' attention back to him and away from Kisa.

"Oh, well… that would be a good reason to shut it down I guess." He replied as Shizune nodded and turned to face the counter beside him to assist in chopping vegetables for their dinner.

"Yeah, I'd say so. It's a shame though; if the Exchange Program would have worked we would likely be on much better terms with places like Iwa and Kumo, as well as several of the minor Shinobi Villages." She added, prompting Tsunade to nod in agreement as her eyes again returned to the girl on the couch behind her in observation.

"Agreed. Maybe then we would be better equipped to handle the threat of this Akatsuki organization, as we still don't know where they are operating out of or what exactly it is that they are planning." She stated as from behind her the man chuckled.

"I wouldn't worry about them too much. I mean, come on. How much damage could a bunch of criminals really do when faced against people like us!?" He questioned jokingly as he again reached out and took the bottle of rice wine on the counter between he and the Hokage, though this time he gripped the cork on the end with his teeth, pulled it clear off and poured the wine into the pain on the stove in a show of cooking theatrics, causing a large ball of blame to erupt forth.

"Takao!" Shizune immediately scolded as she grabbed a towel to extinguish the fire should it grow too large, while to her displeasure both Takao and Tsunade laughed. These two were rather alike, and that was dangerous.

Following dinner's conclusion the group quickly moved on to idle conversation with the intent to finish Takao's bottle of awamori, filling the Hokage's Residence with laughter. This had become a rather common ending to their nights in Konoha much to both Takao and Kisa's surprise, though neither of them minded. In fact, from what she had seen it seemed Takao rather enjoyed it, likely because of its resemblance to many times he and Jun would drink far too much and carry on all night. This seemed to be an effective way for Takao to keep his mind off of their departed friend, though for Kisa it wasn't as easy.

Slipping away from the group in the middle of their conversation the girl made her way out onto the apartment's balcony just as the stars in the clear night sky began to become visible amongst the fading orange glow on the horizon. Although being permitted to get out of the apartment was a refreshing change of pace that cleared her head earlier in the day she couldn't help but feel her anxiety and frustration returning as it drew to a close; the fact that yet another day had passed without Akito's return at the forefront of her thoughts.

It had been over a week now since he left for his quick trip home, where could he be? What was taking him so long? Was he alright? Had he decided to not return at all, breaking their promise? Why did he spend each day and night by her bedside? Why did he leave his necklace with her? Why did she care so much?

Taking a deep breath Kisa slowly walked across the deck towards the railing and wrapped her arms around herself, using her hoodie sleeves to keep warm in the late evening breeze that, although nowhere near as fierce as the wind back in Kiri, was quite chilly.

Unlike home the sky here was devoid of any fog or mist, allowing for a clear view at the heavens above and giving her a deep appreciation for just how beautiful Konoha really was. Even in the fourth year Mizukage Mei's leadership Kiri had yet to reach the inviting and lively standard set forth by the Hidden Leaf despite her best attempts, but she had no doubt that eventually the village would eventually evolve to match Mei's vision. She just hoped she would be around to see it, as it was still very unclear whether or not Takao and her would be allowed to return home, let alone remain free.

Gripping the wooden rails as she looked down at the nightlife below the girl's mind returned to Akito, this time thinking over his plan to bring them to Konoha and how it was the right decision after all. If they wouldn't have met or captured him none of this would have been possible, even if they would have escaped their client's trap, making it even harder to believe that he was not there with them.

From the time he first mentioned heading to Konoha she believed he would be there to guide them in a town neither of them had ever been too, and even though Tsunade, Shizune and everyone else in Konoha had been more than fair and kind to them she couldn't help but wish Akito was there.

"Where are you, Akito?" She asked out loud as she looked up to the stars for some sort of far fetched answer, once more feeling her fears and concerns about the boy's safety return as tears began to well up in her eyes. What if Raigetsu and the Anbu got him? What if he never came back? What if he forgot about them.

Dropping her eyes back down to earth at the sound of the sliding glass door opening behind her, Kisa immediately turned back towards the apartment as Takao exited through the door onto the deck.

"Hey, whats up? You alright?" He questioned while still holding a small glass of liquor and clearly already on his way to being intoxicated, though that hadn't stopped him from noticing the girl's disappearance and worrying about her; a sentiment that she understood, causing her to smile.

"I'm alright, I just..." She replied as she reached up and immediately wiped away what tears had formed in her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie, trying her hardest not to appear upset.

"Are you sure? You barely ate any of your dinner and you just stood up and walked off all of a sudden without saying anything." Takao asked again as Kisa shook her head and turned back towards the moon.

"I'm sure Takao, I'm… just thinking, that's all." She added as Takao formed a small grin and drank what remained of the rice wine in his glass.

"You know, when Akito woke up he spent a lot of time 'just thinking' about you too, and even came out here to do so. You two are more alike than you think." The man stated with a chuckle, bringing Kisa to immediately turn back towards him.

"Who said I was thinking about him?" She asked as the inebriated man laughed again, this time a bit harder.

"Oh come on Kis, I can see it on your face. You can't hide it from me." Takao stated with a bit of a hiccup between laughs, causing Kisa to shake her head, though a second or two later the man spoke again.

"I just never thought you could possibly like someone from Iwa." He added, instantly causing the girl's face to sour as a heavy blush formed on her cheeks.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh? He's our friend. You like him too." She immediately questioned, causing him to chuckle even more.

"I mean, I do like him too, but… maybe not as much as you do." Takao replied as Kisa's face darkened, bringing her to bite her lip. Did he mean romantically? Could he really tell she was feeling torn by her emotions?

"I-I don't know what your talking about, I…" She began to contest his statement, though as the words left her mouth she was unsure if what she was fighting was truly that far from the truth.

There was no doubting that over the past few weeks she had been developing feelings for the boy, but it was never clear as to what they meant. Could Takao be right? Was she starting to care about him more than just a friend? If so, why? Why?

Watching Kisa as she struggled to put together her thoughts and once more grabbed the necklace around her neck Takao couldn't help but drunkenly giggle, catching Kisa's gaze almost instantly and causing her to push him back in a playful yet annoyed fashion that ended in the girl crossing her arms as she looked back out at the village below.

"Shut up Takao, you're drunk." She stated in an effort to distract him away from her feelings, to which Takao shook his head and laughed some more.

"That's debatable, but if you truly want to be left alone, I understand. Just remember I'm here if you need me… at least until Akito returns, at which point he'll take over! Ohh!" He jabbed once more, causing him to laugh as she spun around and stepped towards him with an even darker blush.

"Takao!" She exclaimed as the man quickly opened the glass door and slipped back into the apartment with his boisterous cheer, leaving the embarrassed girl on the deck alone once again.

Huffing at the closing of the door, Kisa's eyes remained trained on her drunken fool of a friend who quickly returned to the kitchen counter to seek out more liquor, though as much as she hated to be heckled, part of her was now fixated on his beliefs. Could his hunch really be true?

Taking a deep breath as she prepared to turn back out towards the village Kisa's senses suddenly went wild as someone appeared on the deck behind her; their feet creating a distinct clunk as their sandals dropped on to the wooden surface. Was this a Konoha ninja come to tell Tsunade something, or could it be something far worse?

Afraid of who could be sneaking up on her this late at night the girl formed an ice blade in her right hand and spun it around to hold it to the figure's throat, but as she came face to face with the boy she had been so worried about moments before she froze.

"A-Akito?" She managed to question after a second of staring into his eyes, dropping the ice in her hands as her eyes grew wide; the boy's doing the same as a small grin slowly formed on his lips, brought on by the sudden rush of relief he felt coming over him from seeing that she was finally awake.

"Hey." He replied as Kisa's right hand slowly retracted to her chest to contain her heart as it began racing faster and faster. He kept his promise. He didn't leave them alone. Could this be real?

"You came back." She responded in a hard to read tone as Akito nodded cautiously. Was she mad about him leaving? He wanted to be there when she woke up so badly. Could she forgive him?

"Of course I did." The boy stated as Kisa bit her lip even harder than before while trying her best to contain the emotions mounting inside of her, though only a few seconds later her attempt failed, resulting in her dashing forward, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck and pulling him into a big hug as she buried her face into his jacket.

Caught off guard by Kisa's sudden gesture Akito allowed the backpack he had been carrying on his right shoulder to fall to the ground as he instinctively placed his arms on her back, similar to how she had when Jun passed, though this time she held onto him much tighter than before, as if to keep him from slipping away.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, I-" He began to apologize, though as the words left his mouth Kisa immediately shook her head.

"Don't say you're sorry." She stated as she lifted her head up from his shoulder a few seconds later and stepped back, wiping her eyes with her sleeves as Akito watched with worry. Why was she crying? Was she in pain, or was it something else?

"What happened? Are you okay?" The boy immediately questioned, bringing Kisa to smile as she shook her head and sniffed back any more of the mixed-emotion tears that may be forming.

"I'm fine, I just…" She replied as she watched his concerned eyes darting back and forth between hers. She had been waiting and praying for his safe return over the past four days, yet now, with him standing before her, she was still unsure what to say.

Should she tell him that she was overwhelmed with joy to know he was safe? Should she ask about his journey home and back, or about the fight with Raigetsu after she blacked out, leaving them to fend for themselves? What about while she was unconscious? Should she ask why he refused to leave her side, or about the necklace? Would he want it back now that he had returned?

"I-I'm just glad you're here. I... was worried. You were out there on your own and it's a long way from here to Iwa… I was afraid something might happen to you." She replied with a heavy blush after finally working up the courage, again taking the necklace around her neck in her hands as she did so while Akito's eyes widened and his own face darkened. Was she really that worried about him?

"I didn't mean to make you worry. I'm sorry." He stated with a frown, once more causing her to shake her head.

"You didn't make me worry, I just did. I can't help it... not anymore." Kisa replied just as a heavy wind passing through the village forced her to tighten her grip on the necklace as she squeezed her arms closer to her body to stay warm, in turn causing Akito's eyes to look down at what she was holding. She kept it on? Did that mean she understood what he was trying to say by leaving it with her?

Having had their eyes locked together up until that moment it didn't take long for Kisa to realize what it was that the boy was looking at, at which point the girl hesitantly reached up behind her and began to unlatch the necklace. Over the past few days she had become quite used to it dangling from her neck and had not once taken it off, but it was Akito's and she was sure he would want it back, no matter how attached she had become to it.

"H-Here… you probably want this back." She said aloud as her thumb began to open the hook keeping the segments of chain, though before she could do so Akito lifted his hand up from his side a little in an effort to stop her.

"No, you… it's..." He began to object before stopping at the girl's nearly instant shift in vision back to his eyes, causing him to pause for a moment before continuing nervously. Was she going to freak out what he was going to say?

"I-I gave it to you as a promise… to remind you that you're not alone, just in case you woke up before I returned. B-But you don't have to give it back." The boy began to explain as his eyes looked down to the deck between them in embarrassment, bringing Kisa to bite her lip as her mind went back to their conversation by the campfire on their first night speaking to one another. Did this mean he intended to keep some promise to her? If so, which?

The past few days had been hard both physically and mentally, and although she hadn't really thought about it until now it felt almost as if his necklace served as a sort of remedy to her stress, constantly keeping the hope that he would return alive and pushing her to keep moving forward. Did she want that feeling to go away?

He had also mentioned that this necklace was also a symbol of not only safety but of love as well, further confusing her and tinting her cheeks red. Love? He gave her the necklace even knowing that it could be interpreted as a sign of love? Why would he do that? Did he… love her?

No, no that couldn't be possible. Even if these emotions she had were some kind of romantic attraction their was no way that he could feel that strongly about her… could he? What she was feeling was no doubt something entirely new, but could it really be that?

"I-I don't know, I… a-are you sure you want me to hold onto it? W-What about your family, what will they say? This is a piece of your clan." The girl spoke, bringing him to lock their eyes together again as his heart too now raced inside his chest. He had yet to tell her about his family's demise, but hearing her concern of their approval brought a small smile to his face and a flutter to his stomach, causing him to look down nervously.

"It's mine to give to whoever I choose… someone I care about." He replied as she too looked back down to hide her blush and began to run her thumb over the necklace's golden form. Someone that he cared about? So he did care about her, but how much? Certainly this wasn't something simply given to a friend as a gift like some sort of trinket. Did that mean he cared more than that?

Swallowing nervously as an awkward silence developed between them, Akito looked up to her briefly to judge her response before lowering his head and opening his mouth to speak again.

"I-If you don't want it, I understand. I just-" He began to rapidly state in an effort to avoid any negative backlash from his statement, though as he did so Kisa intervened, speaking up to stop his frantic attempt to renege his sentence.

"No, It… It made me feel safe and kept me from losing hope that you would return, just like you told me it would. I-If you want me to keep it safe... I will." She stated as Akito's eyes shot back to her once more and his increasingly red face grew as dark is it possibly could.

When he gave her the necklace before departing for Iwa he had no intention of taking it back, so hearing that she was not only willing to keep it but that it had offered her the comfort and safety he had hoped it would was great news; especially since the fear of his gesture's rejection had been running rampant in his mind for the past few days. Did this mean she understood and accepted the fact that he harboring some sort of feelings for her, even if he himself was unsure of what exactly those feelings were?

Biting his lip to contain the childish smile he felt forming Akito swallowed what little had built up in his dry mouth in preparation to speak, only to be cut off as the sliding door behind Kisa opened, revealing the large-framed, slightly intoxicated man inside as he stepped back out onto the deck with a wide grin.

"Well as I live and breath! It's Akito Himaku!" He exclaimed rather loudly as he waved both arms out to his sides in a joyous manner that brought Kisa to turn to him and glare, angered that he was interfering with their rather tender moment.

"Didn't I tell you to go inside?" She immediately scolded, though in knowing that she was more than likely not being serious at heart, Takao simply laughed.

"And miss out on our, your, boy's return? I don't think so!" He said with a boisterous chuckle as Kisa's face shifted to an even darker shade of red, bringing her to clench her fists in frustration.

"Takao, you-!" She fired back as Akito stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm to calm her while shifting his attention to their friend, using his other hand to bump fists with him just as he had done prior to his departure.

"I told you I would be back. Did you doubt me?" He asked with a friendly grin as Takao shook his head.

"Nah buddy, not one bit. This one did but I told her to trust you, and look, here you are!" The man replied as Kisa huffed in annoyance and looked back to Akito.

"I wasn't going to leave you guys here alone." He stated, causing Takao's grin to grow closer to his ears as he looked to Kisa and then back to the boy as he shook his head.

"Yeah I kinda figured that. You must have just got to town, and I'm sure you are hungry. Why don't you come inside and get something to eat, maybe something to drink; there is plenty left. We can catch up." The man responded, to which Akito laughed under his breath. He must have really enjoyed cooking all of these meals since he was under the impression Takao had done so nearly every day they had been in Konoha, sometimes more than once.

"That sounds good Takao, thank you." He replied before following Takao's motion towards the sliding door, leaving Kisa standing in place as she watched the two walk towards the apartment; her lips forming a small, content smile.

Not more than ten minutes ago she was stricken with such worry that she could do little more than cry yet now, with Akito's return, she could feel a vast of the majority of the weight on her shoulders lifting away. Why was that? Was it all because of his return? Was she this happy to have him back here with them again? Did she really care about him _that_ much?

Almost all the way glass door Akito stopped to let Takao open the glass before noticing that Kisa had not followed, prompting him to look back at her with a shy grin.

"Are you coming too, Kisa?" He questioned the girl, although it was Takao who answered as he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath.

"Nah, she's not into drinking. She would much rather watch the stars." He mocked while using his fingers to create air quotes, causing Kisa's eyes to narrow on him and Akito's head to tilt. He too had enjoyed looking up at the nighttime sky above, especially here in Konoha, and although he was hungry he couldn't find it in himself to leave Kisa alone.

"Oh, well then I'll just eat later. I'm fine for now." Akito stated as he looked back to the girl, who almost immediately shook her head in protest upon realizing that he was going to skip a meal in order to stay outside with her. He likely hadn't eaten a good meal since departing Iwa to come back and although she appreciated his concern she would feel terrible depriving him of dinner, though at the same time she couldn't deny that his company was something she would have enjoyed, leading her to step forward towards them.

"No Akito, it's okay. I'll just come inside with you two… I don't want you to go without eating." She replied as she came to his side, once again locking their eyes together with a smile and prompting him to do the same while in front of them Takao rolled his own in a playful hint of disgust.

"You two are killin' me."


	15. Chapter 15: Feelings

Sliding to a stop in an open field as he panted heavily in exhaustion, Akito's eyes lifted up towards Takao in the distance as he balanced atop Senso's hilt with Heiwa at the ready; the man just as tired as Akito as the Land of Fire's early spring sun continued to beat down on the two of them.

"Ready to give up yet? You look a little tired." Takao questioned with a grin as Akito shook his head.

"Not just yet." He replied while plunging his hands into his clay reservoir and forming several wads the size of eggs which he then tossed on the ground between the two of them, which in turn caused Shizune, who had been watching along with Kisa from beneath a shaded tree in the distance, to stand in protest.

"You promised no explosives Akito! It's too dangerous!" She exclaimed with the point of her finger, causing Takao to laugh.

"It's alright, they can't be any worse than my swords! Besides, it's not like he's going to hit me with any of them!" He taunted as Akito formed a small snicker and activated the clay balls, creating multiple clones of himself in the most remedial way possible while to the woman's side Kisa sighed.

"Just let them go Shizune. Maybe if they blow themselves up, I won't have to listen to Takao's mouth anymore." She stated with a hint of sarcasm as Shizune looked to her in shock, though it became apparent rather quickly that this was nothing more than a ploy in an attempt to hide her true thoughts on the subject.

"Come on Kisa, you can't tell me your not worried about the two of them getting hurt." She stated as she sat back down beside the girl who she could now see was staring at her friends with a troubled glare.

Even though Akito had been back with them for almost three days now it was clear to both Tsunade and herself that Kisa's mind was still far from relieved of it's heavy burden, causing them to continue worrying about her mental state and the stability of her curse mark.

So far she hadn't had an instance of the mark breaking out while in their care but that didn't mean it couldn't happen, and with Orochimaru seemingly becoming more desperate by the month it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before he attempted to take control of her again.

"It's not that I'm not worried, I just know better to come between them. Boys will be boys." She stated as her eyes followed Akito as he rushed forward toward Takao amongst his clones and carefully dodged over Takao's blade.

Truth be told she _was_ worried, but she wasn't quite sure why. She knew neither Takao nor Akito would purposely try and injure one another, yet she couldn't help but cringe each time an opportunity for Akito be injured presented itself.

She had grown used to Takao being in harm's way and knew that he was more than capable of handling himself, but Akito was a different story. Akito's fighting style required him to keep himself at an almost point-blank distance from his foes in order to unleash his kekkei genkai, opening him up for all kinds of counter attack and had resulted in his injury on several instances since meeting him.

Watching Takao bisect all of the clones and hold the boy back as Akito somersaulted overtop of him to lock his kunai to Heiwa's blade, Shizune shook her head with a slight grin.

"Yeah, men can be quite bullheaded from time to time." The woman replied as she looked back to Kisa once again.

"I haven't asked this in a few days in an attempt to give you some space, but how are you feeling? Getting most of your strength back?" She questioned with a friendly smile as Kisa nodded in reply.

"I'm doing much better, yes. I'm starting to feel normal again and my injuries are almost completely healed… even if I still have this thing on my neck." The girl stated as she reached up and rubbed the curse mark on the back of her neck, bringing Shizune's smile to descend into a small frown. Kisa understood the dangers of her burden as well as anyone else and had been actively doing her best to keep it in check, even if that meant bottling up most of her emotions.

"Try not to worry about it too much. With how well you've recovered I'm sure it won't be much longer before Tsunade decides to move forward with her plan to seal the mark." Shizune replied as Kisa stared at her for a moment before pulling her legs up to her chest and returning her eyes back out to her sparing friends in the distance.

From what she had read in the Hokage's medical logs over the past few days this procedure was dangerous and had varying degrees of success at best. There had only been a few cases of such a fuinjutsu being used in Konoha of which only one was on a boy who had been marked with a curse, and while it had been able to contain Orochimaru's control it seemed that the boy had still fallen under his influence and continued to use the seal, though it was unknown if this was entirely voluntary or not. Could that possibly be her fate as well?

Even if everything goes according to the Hokage's plan, what then? Where would they go? Would they still be allowed to stay here in Konoha? What about Akito? Would he stay there with them, or would he decide to leave again?

"I hope so... I'm tired of wonder whether or not today will be the day I lose control again and kill someone." She responded while she hugged her knees tightly against her chest and rested her head against them as Shizune followed her eyes out to the boys, both of whom slid back away from one another in yet another draw.

"Is that what's got you down? Concern that you might hurt Takao or Akito?" She asked as Kisa nodded slowly.

"That and about a million other things; things I'm trying my hardest not to let affect me, though that isn't as easy as I had hoped." The girl replied, bringing Shizune's grin to disappear. Even if she was supposed to be controlling her emotions nothing good come out of keeping everything inside.

"Do you want to talk about it? You can trust me you know… maybe it will help." The woman stated with a grin as Kisa's eyes shifted towards her for a moment before letting out a small sigh followed closely behind by a nod. Trust was always something she had a hard time finding in people, but now it seemed that she had little choice but to trust in those around her.

"There are just so many unknowns and what-ifs right now... it's all so overwhelming. Between losing Jun, not being able to return home and now with this curse mark, I feel so lost… like I don't know who I am anymore. Where will we go, what will we do? I've trained my whole life to be a shinobi and now everything Takao and I have worked so hard for is hanging in the balance." She stated silently so that neither Takao or Akito could hear her as Shizune frowned.

"I know it's hard to believe right now, but you've just gotta have faith that everything will work out in the end. We're not going to just kick you out to fend for yourselves and we are certainly not going to let Kiri take you home to face trial for a crime you didn't willingly commit." The woman stated as her vision returned to the boys off in the distance, who once more charged at one another in their long running attempt to get the other to surrender.

"No matter what you always be a shinobi, even if, for some reason, you are not allowed to remain in Kiri. I'm sure that Konoha would love to have someone as talented as yourself amongst our ranks, as well as Takao, and you could even see about moving to Iwa too thanks to your friendship with Akito." Shizune added, bringing Kisa's eyes to shoot back to her for a moment before looking down to her feet.

Move to Iwa and become a Hidden Stone shinobi? Was that something she could ever do after everything they had done to her or had Akito managed to alleviate enough of that hatred to make living in Iwa a possibility?

"I… I don't know about that, Shizune. I know you didn't know but my father was killed by Stone ninja on a mission... I'm not sure if I could live there, even if I wanted to." She stated in response as Shizune, having heard about her father's demise from Tsunade, slowly nodded with a frown.

"Lady Tsunade told me about your father, but I just assumed that it might still be a viable option given the connection you two seem to share." She responded, causing Kisa's cheeks to darken as she looked over in shock. Connection? Did Shizune figure out that she was harboring feelings for the boy as well?

"I mean, it's… it's an option I guess. I trust Akito… it's the others that I don't trust… not even myself anymore." Kisa replied with a hint of uncertainty that brought Shizune to lock her eyes on Akito in the distance.

"Akito would never let anything happen to you there, nor would he allow you to hurt anyone else, though that would be out of fear for your own well being more than anything." Shizune stated, once more causing Kisa's eyes to look to her.

"I don't need Akito to protect me." She replied in a probing manner as Shizune shook her head.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like, I just meant that, well… you know." The woman added as Kisa's attention returned to her. What was that supposed to mean? Was she insinuating that Akito cared for her safety?

Although she already knew that Akito cared to some degree she couldn't help but feel like Shizune spoke on the matter with some sort of knowledge unknown to her, causing her to swallow nervously. Was whatever was going on between them really so clear that she would just assume he cared, or was there something else? What did she know?

"No, I don't know. What-" Kisa began to question just as she caught a glimpse of the Takao's broadsword striking Akito in the stomach blunt-edge first, spiking him into the ground with a rather rough thud that kicked up dirt in a dust cloud around him and caused both women to stand up in shock and concern.

"Akito!" They both exclaimed as Takao blinked in surprise that this was not just another clone and stepped forward to check on the boy, though as he took his first step two hands emerged from the ground below him, snagging his ankles and dragging him down into the dirt up to his neck.

Caught off guard by this sneaky move, Takao gasped and cried out in anger as Akito emerged from the earth behind him with a grin; his face covered in sweat as he held his stomach and tried to catch his breath.

"You sneaky prick! You knew if I thought I actually hurt you I would let my guard down!" He exclaimed as the boy snickered and wiped blood running from his busted lip with the back of his hand.

"Sorry Takao, but it was the only way. I couldn't blow you up, nor could I use my kekkei genkai so… yeah." The boy replied as Takao huffed in defeat and grumbled under his breath, though both of their eyes quickly shot over towards their escort as she yelled loudly at them; her rage noticeable at even this distance.

"Alright you two that's enough for today! The sparring is over!" Shizune commanded in a bout of fury as Takao stared at her, still stuck inside of his rock restraint.

"Oh, she's really pissed… maybe we really should stop." He stated as Akito laughed under his breath.

"What, no rematch? Don't you want to try and win a round as well?" The boy mocked as Takao formed a sly grin.

"Oh don't worry I'll win our next fight… just not while Shizune is watching." He replied as Akito smirked and released the man with a single sign that loosened the ground around him enough for him to crawl back up onto the surface.

Looking down at the hole he just escaped Takao's lips formed a smug grin as he nodded, dusted himself off and replaced both of his blades into their sheaths.

"Good move, though." He added, causing Akito laugh as the two began to head back towards the girls, both of whom displayed a rather less-than-pleased demeanor on their face as they approached.

Coming to a stop before them as he fixed the generic blue headband on his forehead to better restrain the pieces of his bangs that had come loose during their fight, Takao shifted between the woman's glaring eyes before chuckling under his breath.

"What?" He questioned, instantly causing Shizune to point her finger at him.

"You know what. I specifically told you two that if you absolutely, positively wanted to spar against one another, neither of you was to use anything that could truly injure or kill. Explosives and a five foot swords are _clearly_ included in that category." She scolded as her finger shifted back and forth between the two men, causing Takao to again snicker.

"Oh come on _mom_, we were never in any danger. We were just having fun." The man responded in a sarcastic manner with a chuckle, bringing Shizune to huff in frustration as Akito's attention shifted to Kisa who unbeknownst to him had yet to break her eyes away from his.

See her stare Akito slowly formed a small grin that, although it shouldn't have given her annoyance with the two for insisting that they wanted to spend the afternoon rattling sabers, softened Kisa's slight scowl into a soft, miniscule smile as her mind again flooded with her thoughts about him. Why did something as simple as a smile cause her to become overwhelmed by what she was trying so hard to keep in check?

"Well sometimes 'just having fun' has serious consequences. Lady Tsunade put me in charge of keeping an eye on you three, and the last thing I want to have to tell her is that one of you has been cut in half or blown up!" Shizune objected in response to Takao's comments as Akito looked to her as well.

"Maybe we did go a bit far. I'm sorry Shizune." He stated as he then turned his attention to Takao and stared at the man for several seconds before Takao finally caved in and sighed.

"Yeah, maybe you are right Akito. I'm sorry too Shizune… even if I still think you are being a bit paranoid about this." The man replied with a snicker and a grin, bringing Shizune's eye to twitch with irritation.

"You're very lucky I also promised Lady Shizune not to get angry with you Takao, because I sure am close to it." She responded as she looked to Akito to thank him and then turned back in the direction of town. They had been out and about for a few hours now, so it would probably be best for them to return back to the Hokage's presence soon, lest they avoid making her worry about how long they had been gone on their walk.

"We should get going. It's about three and I'm sure you probably want to clean up before dinner… or at least I hope so." She added as she looked at both men and their dirty clothes, bringing Takao to look to his sparring mate and laugh at just how dirty they had become.

"That's probably a good idea, even if I don't really have anything planned for tonight." The man replied as the four set off for town, making their way back to their temporary home with little delay.

Arriving back at the Hokage's home Akito was first to shower as prize for his victory over Takao in their spar, quickly prying off his muddied and sweat-drenched clothes, showering and replacing them with a clean set from the supply he had brought with him from Iwa.

Unlike when he set out to hunt down Deidara the boy was now prepared for an extended stay in Konoha or wherever else their journey was to take them, packing enough clothes and supplies to keep himself clean and fresh for a whole week at a time without having to perform any laundry duties; a rather relieving fact as one thing he truly couldn't stand was having to wash clothes, let alone two or three times a week.

Sliding his black undershirt over his head and picking up a pair of freshly cleaned rolls of bandages for his arms, Akito ventured forth from the residence's spare bathroom and out into the hallway before heading towards the living area they tended to spend most of their time in. Nobody seemed to be in the room at the moment, making it a prime location to wrap his arms away from the residual humidity of his rather warm shower.

Coming to a stop at the back of one of the couches he promptly set down the second of the two rolls and began to wrap his left arm, though after his first few circles around his eye caught sight of Kisa outside on the deck, staring off into the late afternoon sun as it began to descend down towards the mountains in the distance.

Slowly tilting his head to the side as he temporarily stopped wrapping his arm and focused on her, watching as she lifted her head up, closed her eyes and took a deep breath as a gust of wind blew by. He had only been back in Konoha for a few days now but he had caught her out on the deck by herself several times now, sometimes late at night.

At first he was unsure if this behavior was normal for since he hadn't known her before all of this happened, but after talking to Takao it seemed she was not one to normally isolate herself from her friends, causing the boy to worry, even if Takao also stated that it seemed her mood had improved since his return.

Although she always seemed to put on a smile and a calm demeanor when they spoke he knew her well enough now to understand when something was bothering her. To him this seemed to mirror the depression that he went through as a child right down to the loss of appetite, causing his stomach to twist into and remain in a knot. Although he hadn't said anything to Takao in fear of being judged the boy couldn't help but worry that she might become sick; a fear that when coupled with his growing feelings for the girl seemed impossible to shake.

Stepping closer to the sliding glass door that separated the two of them Akito slowly continued to wrap his arms while keeping his eyes locked to Kisa, only breaking off from her as to his side Tsunade emerged from the kitchen, having gone unnoticed thanks to her efforts trying to locate something inside of a closet in the pantry.

"We've resorted to spying now I see." She questioned as the boy's head turned to face her with a bit of embarrassment, bringing the boy to finish tying off the bandages on his left arm.

"Not exactly. I was just wrapping my arms and I noticed… her." Akito replied while returning his eyes to Kisa as Tsunade walked towards him and looked out at the girl as well.

"I figured that. You're not as hard to read as you may think you are." She added as a joke, though instead of laugh Akito simply formed a small, almost non-existent smirk as his worry remained on his face.

"How long has she been like this?" He asked as Tsunade's own grin disappeared and replaced itself with an expression of thought.

"Since she woke up from the coma. I'm not entirely sure why however, though there is no shortage of reasons. She's under a lot of stress between Jun's death, her status with Kiri, the curse mark on her neck and, well… you." The woman responded as Akito's eyes darted to her.

"Me?"

Hearing his question the Hokage nodded as the smirk on her face returned.

"Yes, you." She replied as Akito looked back out at Kisa. Was he really part of the reason she felt like this?

"I didn't mean to make things harder for her." The boy replied, causing Tsunade to laugh.

"You didn't make anything harder for her, Akito. These things just happen when you care about someone dearly." She added as Akito's eyes widened amidst his darkening face.

"Care about… dearly?" He replied as Tsunade raised an eyebrow towards him. Could he really be this naive? Why was he acting like this was the first time they had spoken about this?

"_Yes_ Akito. I told you there was _something_ there, and seeing how you were the very first person she sought out when she woke up, I think it's pretty safe to assume that the connection between you two that we spoke about before you left is mutual." She added, causing his cheeks to darken even further and his eyes to open wide.

Could that be true? Did she really care about him so much that her first thoughts after coming out of her coma were about him? If so, did that mean that she felt as strongly about him as he did about her?

"S-Still, I-I can't help but worry about her. She's not eating, I don't think she's sleeping well and although she won't admit it I know something us wrong." He replied in an effort to snap out of his embarrassing stutter as he returned his eyes back to Kisa.

"I went through this when I lost my family… I don't want her to suffer like I did." He added as Tsunade hummed to herself under her breath.

"I noticed as well. To me it seems like a textbook case of depression though with Orochimaru's curse seal on her neck nothing can truly be that simple, especially since this could possibly weaken her resistance to his control, allowing him to take over… even with a counter seal in place." She added, causing Akito's stomach to twist into an even tighter knot than before.

That was by the absolute worst thing that could happen right now for so many reasons, though the worst by far was the fact that unlike Raigetsu, Orochimaru's goals were not clear but yet far more sinister. She could _not_ be allowed to fall into that sick man's hands no matter what… even if it cost him his life.

Unaware that Akito had zoned out in thought, Tsunade continued to contemplate their options as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"What she needs is a release: some way to vent some of the stress that has her down. But what?" She questioned aloud a moment before snapping her fingers as an idea suddenly popped into her head that she truly believed might work.

"Why don't you two go for a walk? She hasn't really had the opportunity to explore the village, and I get the feeling she might like that." She stated as Akito looked at her and tilted his head a bit.

"A walk to where?" The boy asked as Tsunade grinned.

"Wherever. No need to do anything too fancy, just show her around, take her to your favorite spots from when you were a student here, maybe even go to dinner... you know, like a date." The Fifth replied with a sly grin as she placed her right hand on her hip and watched Akito's jaw drop, eyes widen and his cheeks turn the darkest shade of red she had ever seen.

"A-A d-date?" He asked with a heavy stutter as Tsunade laughed.

"Yes, a d-date A-Akito." The Fifth replied jokingly as Akito's heart raced in his chest, bringing him to look back out at Kisa. A date? He hadn't been on what he considered to be a date in nearly eight years… was this really a good idea? Talking to women had never really been his strong suit regardless of how well had and Kisa communicated and got along. What if he messed up? What if… what if she rejected him?

Would that change things between them? He had promised Tsunade that he would continue to support her regardless of how she felt about him and he intended to keep that promise, but would that make it awkward for either of them? He had been crushed by this sort of thing before… was he willing to risk that same pain again? Could he handle that?

"L-Lady Tsunade I-I don't know if that's a good idea. What if this makes it worse? W-What if I mess up?" He questioned in a concerned tone as the Hokage turned to look back at the girl as well, just as yet another strong breeze passed through the village.

"Oh please, you will be fine. I truly believe that part of the weight on her shoulders is confusion about the feelings she has for you. If she is able to sort some of those feelings out and understand them a little better maybe she can pull herself out of this rut she is in. Plus… wouldn't you feel better finding out for yourself how things are between you two?"

Staring at the Hokage in complete shock, Akito continued to rapidly bounce through his thoughts as his right hand subconsciously clenched the bandages on his opposite arm tightly. Was this reality? Did Tsunade really thing that this was the right thing to do? She was by far one of the smartest people he had ever met, but could this really be what Kisa needed right now?

"I-If you… if you t-think this will help her, I will do it." Akito eventually replied after more than a few moments of silence, causing Tsunade to grin once again as her attention returned to Akito's flushed face as he looked down at the ground.

"Good. Now get out their, loverboy."

Stepping out onto the deck as he finished wrapping his right arm while shutting the door behind him, Akito's eyes immediately connected to Kisa's as she turned over her shoulder to face him, bringing her to form a small smile.

"Hey Akito." She stated as Akito waved and watched her returned her vision to the sky above.

"Hey Kisa. What, uh… what are you up to?" He asked as he walked over towards the railing where she was standing and stopped at her side, once more causing her to look at him.

"I'm just thinking, that's all. How about you?"

"Just coming to check on you, that's all."

Hearing his reply Kisa smiled a bit as a small, almost unnoticeable blush formed on her cheeks at what she found was a cute gesture.

"I'm okay, I've just got a lot on my mind." She added as Akito leaned on the railing beside her and looked down at the village below nervously.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Akito said as Kisa shook her head.

"I think I'll be alright… thank you though, Akito." She replied as the boy bit the inside of his lip, silently reeling from her reluctance to open up. He had hoped that she would say yes so that he could offer the walk as a median for their chat, but not that was clearly not going to be the case. What should he do now? Should he just ask?

"Alright. I was gonna say that, if you wanted to, we could take a walk to help clear your head, but that's okay. Just… if you need to talk to someone, I'm here." He replied in an effort to probe what her reaction would have been, bringing her to tilt her head.

A walk? That actually didn't sound like such a bad idea. She hadn't been feeling herself the past few days and while she had been wanting to explore the village ever since she first laid her eyes on it she never asked Shizune or the Hokage for permission to do so freely in fear of pushing their hospitality. The last thing she wanted to do was to drag them away from their duties and make her seem like more of a burden, but with all the time Akito spent in the Hidden Leaf she might finally be able to do so.

"Actually Akito, a walk does sound nice." She replied with a small smile as Akito's eyes grew in surprise.

"O-Oh, really? Alright, I… I thought that maybe I could show you some of the places I used to go when I was a student here. You know… if you want to see them." Akito stated after stopping to collect his composure as Kisa nodded and widened her smile. He seemed more nervous than usual, but in an innocent way that she couldn't help but smile at.

"I wouldn't mind that at all, but where's Takao? Should we wait for him or should he just meet us somewhere?" She asked as once more Akito's face flushed red.

"W-Well I mean… er…" He began to mumble as he reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. She thought he meant the three of them? Did that mean that when she found out what he really meant she wouldn't want to go anymore? Why was this so difficult?!

"I-I thought that… maybe it c-could be just the two of us. T-Takao is showering and I…" He continued, growing more nervous as her eyes widened and the blush on her own cheeks increased drastically.

He wanted to go for a walk with just the two of them? At first she assumed that his intent was for all of them to talk but now it seemed that he wanted to talk to her alone as if this was meant to be more personal, almost like a… date.

Pulling her hand to her chest as her heart skipped a beat, Kisa bit the inside of her lip as her mind once more returned to her thoughts about the boy's feelings towards her. Was this really meant to be a date of some kind? Was that why he was acting so nervous?

"Just the two of us." She stated aloud as her hand nervously gripped the necklace beneath her hoodie, causing Akito's heart to nearly fall into his stomach as he fought the urge to vomit. She wasn't happy, he could see it on her face. Was she mad? Upset? What had he done?!

"Y-Yeah, I-I uh… y-you know what, we can wait for Takao. I-It's not a big deal." The boy replied as the feeling of dread coming over him continued to grow, causing him to again look down to try and hide the distraught look on his face as Kisa took notice. So was this really intended to be a date then? What should she say? Should she go?

If this would have been any other man she wouldn't even be having these thoughts right now. She had been asked out on dates by men from Kiri several times before, as well as from Jun on a few occasions, never once having said yes… but now it seemed that the idea of spending time with Akito alone was something she wanted, and going on a date with him didn't seem like such a bad idea.

It was becoming clearer by the day that these things that she felt towards Akito were not something she had ever felt before, but why now? Why did this have to happen in the middle of what could be the end of her whole world? Was this meant to be a sign… a way for her to get through this? She never needed anybody's help before but… did she want this?

Still watching in silence as Akito fell to pieces in front of her, Kisa took a deep breath and bit her lip one last time before working up the strength necessary to speak. She never, ever thought she would be going on a date in the foreseeable future… but yet, compared to previous advances, this didn't seem anywhere near as hard to fathom.

"N-No it's okay, I… I'd like that." She said with a nervous smile and an embarrassing fluster, instantly bringing Akito's eyes to dart up to her from the floor as the room around him stopped spinning and the nauseous feeling in his stomach disappeared. Did she really mean that?

"R-Really?" The boy questioned after a brief moment of silence as Kisa now looked down away from him in a shy manner, though the smile on her face was hard to hide as she nodded.

"Yes… are you ready to go?" She asked in return, bringing the surprised boy to smile goofily as well before he too nodded and motioned for Kisa to make the first move before following her over the balcony's railing to the street below to start their journey.

Making their way through the crowded city streets, it was clear that the Hidden Leaf's nightlife was in full bloom. Restaurants and shops were opening up for the evening rush, the villagers who had spent their day working were out to relax and up above the sun was just beginning to reach the horizon.

Kisa and Akito on the other hand were already well into their night out, having spent the better part of the last two hours wandering around Konoha's various districts as Akito attempted to show her everything he remembered about the village hidden in the leaves. So far they had been to the academy, several of the parks and memorials and even to the apartment where he had been living during his time there, but there was one place he was still dying to show her.

"My previous statement stands that you certainly have lived an interesting life, Akito." She stated with a grin as she looked over her shoulder towards him, bringing him to laugh and shake his head.

"Nah, not really. Honestly, running into you guys was probably the most exciting thing I've done in quite a while. Usually I get stuck handling the assignments that nobody else wants to do as a favor to the Tsuchikage which, regardless of their ranking, are always mundane." He replied as Kisa rolled her eyes playfully, recalling back to Takao's mention that the boy was not a jonin like they previously had believed.

"Somehow I highly doubt that, though I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when Takao told me you are only a chunin. Is that true?" The girl questioned as Akito nodded, bringing Kisa to raise a brow in curiosity.

"How could that be true? Not to inflate your ego, but your skillset far exceeds most of the chunin I know, especially given the fact that the Tsuchikage himself was your sensei." She added as Akito formed a small grin and looked to her as she avoided a wandering civilian on the street and moved closer to him.

"The Tsuchikage has wanted to appoint me to the position several times now, but I told him no."

Even more confused by the fact that he had been offered this honor and declined, Kisa tilted her head to the side. Being appointed to a jonin was every shinobi's goal; proof that they had become irreplaceable to their village and instrumental in their affairs. Why wouldn't he accept it?

"What? Akito, why? Don't you want to be a jonin?" She questioned in response, prompting Akito to look down at his feet.

"I do, I just… I don't want to be given that title until I am sure I truly deserve it, which to me will be the day I bring Deidara back to Iwa to face justice." He stated as he placed both of his hands in his pockets and looks back at Kisa who's curious stare slowly turned into a small, compassionate smile.

"My father was the same way. He felt that he hadn't done enough for the village to deserve the title of jonin, despite having been involved with several of Kiri's most important operations and victories during the Third Shinobi World War." Kisa began, bringing Akito to look back to her as he began to listen intently.

"Really?" He asked as Kisa nodded; the memory of her father bringing her grin to grow.

"He used to tell me that a village's jonin were meant to be a guiding light for all those who served beside them, and to him he wasn't ready to be that person… but after a while he warmed up to the idea. I just wish he could have been that light just a bit longer." She added as her smile slowly faded away, causing Akito to frown at her pain. He never had any doubt that the loss of her father still troubled her though he couldn't blame her in the least bit as not a single day went by where he didn't think about his own family, wishing they were still with him.

"From what I can see, he still is." He replied after a moment with a bit of hesitation as he reached out and placed his hand on her upper arm briefly, causing her to blush as the small, innocent smile on her lips returned.

However, instead of commenting any further on her father the girl lifted her head up and looked at the village around them, still unaware of where they were heading next. Unlike the last few places they had visited Akito had yet to say where they were going, filling her with a bit of excitement and anticipation.

"So where exactly are we heading? What's next on 'Akito Himaku's Tour of Konoha'?" She questioned out loud as Akito laughed, spun around and pointed off in the distance towards his last stop on the trip, bringing Kisa's smile to widen as she looked at him for a moment in shock. Was that really where they were going?

Carefully climbing atop of the Third Hokage's head, Akito quickly looked around the top of the statue to make sure nobody had come to stop their adventure before turning back towards Kisa and offering her a hand which, with a red face, she accepted regardless of whether or not she actually needed the help.

"Well? What do you think?" He questioned as he pulled her up on to the statue beside him, allowing her to catch her very first glimpse of the view from the top of Hokage Rock just as the sun crept down beyond the distant horizon, instantly causing her eyes to light up with excitement. Hokage Rock was one of the first things that Kisa laid eyes upon when she woke up and she often found herself staring up at it, but she never realized that she could actually climb atop it, nor did she think that Konoha could look so beautiful from above.

"Akito… it's amazing. You can see the whole village from here, and even out into the Land of Fire. You really used to come up here all the time?" She responded as Akito turned to look out at the village as well, just as all of the colored lights below kicked on to illuminate the darkening streets.

"I mean, I wasn't really supposed to... but yeah. It was always a place away from everyone else that I could come to when I needed to clear my head." Akito replied as she looked at him and smiled before looking back out at the sun.

"I can see why. We have cliffs like this in Kiri but the fog hides the view." Kisa added with a wide smile right as another strong gust of wind passed through the village, causing her frosted hair to blow and Akito's eyes to focus on her with a deepening blush.

Ever since his eyes first her he had always found her to be attractive, but right now, with the sun reflecting off of her deep blue eyes and her elusive smile the brightest he had ever seen, there was no denying that she was the most beautiful kunoichi he had ever seen.

"I saved this one for last so that we would be here during the sunset. I wanted you to see it as I did years ago… and this is exactly how I remember it." Akito replied as Kisa spotted just how red his face was, causing her to smile.

"A sunset view… how very romantic." She joked, instantly causing Akito to gasp in frustration as he frantically rubbed his arm.

"N-No, I-I mean... yeah i-it is, but-" He stuttered as Kisa covered her mouth to hide the giggle that escaped.

"Relax, I'm only kidding." She added as her smile returned and her eyes focused on the sunset which now had nearly ducked from view, causing her to feel a bit melancholy. Regardless of whether or not this was a date she had a great time with him tonight and if this truly was the last place he had for them to see that meant the night was almost over, but she didn't want that.

Infact, if she had her choice, she would want to spend forever in this moment. Here with him tonight, up here on this rock, everything seemed normal. She wasn't thinking about Jun or about the situation with Kiri, nor was she thinking about the curse mark on her neck. All she could think about was him; about his smile, his laugh, how he was trying so hard to cheer her up and make everything feel okay. She didn't want this feeling of happiness to disappear.

"Thank you, Akito. I'm… I'm glad we did this. I haven't felt this happy in a long time." She stated with a smile regardless of the sad reality that the night was almost over as she looked to him from the corner of her eye, watching as he grinned.

He too was having a good time with her despite how nervous he was in the beginning, especially knowing that he was successful in helping cheer her up. It had been some time since he heard her laugh like this and he couldn't remember a time where she had smiled this much… maybe this date idea wasn't so bad afterall.

"You don't need to thank me Kisa… what are friends for, right?" He replied as their eyes connected to one another's again, bringing her heart to race. If this was the end of their walk there was something she needed to know.

"Hey Akito?" She questioned as the boy looked back to her and hummed in reply, causing her to hesitate for a brief second before taking a small breath and speaking again.

"Was this a date?" The girl asked with a rather calm composure, instantly causing Akito's eyes to open wide and his face to once again darken to the absolutely deepest shade of red that it could.

"A d-date? I-I uh… n-no, well…" He rapidly stuttered back and forth as he looked away from her to try and hide the confused, somewhat distraught expression he couldn't quite contain.

Seeing him struggle to express his emotions once more, Kisa bit her lip as her hands reached up and cupped the necklace around her neck. It seemed now that it was indeed a date, but should she not have asked him that? What if it was and now he felt as if it hadn't been good enough? Would he worry about something like that?

Not wanting him to continue stressing out, Kisa took a deep breath and focused her thoughts to speak again.

"If it was, I won't be mad. I mean... I kinda assumed it was from the beginning." She stated with a small chuckle, again causing Akito to gasp under his breath in surprise.

"You… k-knew it was a d-date all along?" He questioned as the girl bobbed her head.

"Not exactly, but usually when a boy asks a girl to go on a walk alone it is considered some form of a date... or at least in Kiri it is." She stated as Akito let out an exasperated grunt; his mind once again returning to the fear that she might not be pleased with his rather bold move of even angered by his attempt to force himself closer to her. She said she wouldn't be mad, but was that actually how she felt?

"I-I'm sorry Kisa I… I didn't mean to offend you, I w-was just trying to help you feel a bit better." He began to apologize as Kisa stepped forward towards him, causing him to hold his breath as he worried about what she would say, though much to his relief she slowly shook her head as she let out a short, cute laugh.

"You didn't offend me and I'm certainly not mad. I had a great time with you, and if that was your goal you reached it just fine, date or not." She replied, though she looked down a moment later as her somber attitude returned.

"If anything I'm just… sad that it's over." Kisa added as Akito again stared at her in shock. Was that true? Did she really have such a good time that she not only okay with it having been a date, but that she wished it wasn't finished?

What should he do? Should he let this be the end of their night out together regardless of the fact that she didn't want it to end or should they do something else? But what else was there to do? It was getting dark so more sightseeing was out, especially beyond the village's walls. But what then?

Looking down at the village for any hint of what they could do, Akito's eyes locked onto one of Konoha's many street shops as the large sign above it's doors illuminated, reminding him of Tsunade's suggestion that he take her out for dinner; his stomach rumbling from hunger as a result of not eating yet today. Was she hungry as well? Would she like that?

"It… it doesn't have to be over." He said in a timid tone as Kisa blinked and watched him nervously rub the back of his neck once more while placing his other hand in his pocket. What did that mean? Did he have something else planned for them, or was he alluding to something else? Dates often lead to relationships… was that what he meant?

"W-What do you mean, Akito?" She questioned nervously as the warmth in her face spread across most of her body, causing Akito to turn towards her and his eyes to dart down to her feet. There would be no easy way to ask this, so he had to just say it. Enough being nervous, being unsure; he had to just push through it.

"Would… would you like to get... d-dinner… with me?" He asked despite the knot in his stomach, bringing Kisa's eyes to grow and her heart to race. First their walk and now dinner? Did he really enjoy spending that much time alone with her? She certainly couldn't deny that she was enjoying herself given how much she had been smiling and laughing over the past few hours, so much so that it seemed she had worked up a bit of an appetite for the first time in days. Was this entirely because of him as well?

Reaching up and tucking the bangs on the right side of her head behind her ear to prevent the wind from blowing them around as both of them stared into each other's eyes, Kisa slowly nodded.

"I would like that very much." The girl replied with a shy smile as a much needed rush relief came over him, only to disappear moments later as she spoke again.

"But this time, it better be a date." She added with a sly grin, again causing Akito's cheeks to darken as deep as he could, though this time instead of melting down he simply grinned, jumped back to the cliff behind the Third Hokage's and held his hand out for her to take.

"A-Alright, but I have to warn you… I'm pretty bad at dates." He stated jokingly, causing Kisa to laugh as she took his hand and jumped to him, though neither of them immediately let go; a testament to just how comfortable they were becoming with one another.

"I don't believe that in the slightest bit. So where are we going?" She questioned, finally letting go of his hand as he grinned with a deep red face.

"I know just the place."

Eyeing up the two large bowls of ramen as they were placed in front of them, Kisa couldn't help but form a small grin as she shook her head and eyed up the rather plentiful amount of toppings floating around in the warm, golden broth.

"So this place is really supposed to be the best food in town, huh?" She questioned as she looked up at her date as he handed her a set of chopsticks and nodded.

"According to Naruto Uzumaki it is. I've been here several times now, each with him, and I've got to say that it's rather impressive… though to be fair, I've never tried any other ramen here in Konoha. It's always Ichiraku." He replied as the woman behind the counter, the shop owner's daughter Ayame, nodded.

"As it should be. We appreciated your return, as well as the new business you've brought with you!" The woman stated as Akito grinned and turned back to Kisa who, fueled with curiosity by all of this positive talk about the food, collected a bit of everything on the edge of her chopsticks, blew on it a bit to cool it down and placed inside of her mouth; instantly causing her to nod in agreement as the immense flavor of the bite exploded across her taste buds.

"Well Naruto might be onto something as this is indeed the best bowl of ramen I think I have ever had." She stated as she covered her mouth to speak while still chewing her food, bringing Akito to grin.

"Good! I'm glad you like it." He stated with a light laugh as he too began to eat his foot, carefully blowing on to prevent burning his mouth as the two began to talk back and forth, continuing to do so for the duration of their meal as well as afterwards as neither of them made any attempt to leave, though this wasn't new.

By now they had participated in several of these conversations over the time they had known one another, but that didn't keep either of them from finding interest in the stories they shared, and instead served to open conversations up to more personal matters; matters that when they first met she could never imagine sharing with anyone, let alone a boy from Iwagakure.

Laughing rather boisterously amidst the middle of one of Akito's stories a short while later, Kisa rocked back in her seat in amusement as the boy took a drink of water on the counter in front of him and shook his head.

"It might be funny now, but it wasn't back then! My father was never amused at my cousin and I's antics… especially if it attracted the Tsuchikage's eye in a negative light." He added as the girl wiped a tear from her eyes and grinned.

"Well can you blame him? There aren't too many fathers out there that would find their son drawing fake eyes on the Kage's face as he slept amusing." She replied, bringing Akito to shake his head.

"I didn't draw anything on the Tsuchikage's face Deidara did, and to be fair, the whole thing was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter's idea." The boy responded, to which Kisa laughed and shook her head.

"Whatever you say, Akito. So what happened next? I'm guessing your father came after you, right?" She asked in an attempt to push the story forward as Akito again nodded.

"Well, not exactly. He was always busy tending to the administrative duties he was assigned to, so usually he sent my brother Akihiro after me when I was in trouble."

Hearing that his father used his brother as a means to hunt down and punish him, Kisa tilted her head to the side.

"Really? Usually brothers are made to be close, not turned against one another… actually, I'm surprised he wasn't right there in trouble with you." She added as Akito laughed.

"Oh, we got along and everything but he was a stickler for the rules, just like my dad. My mom always used to say he was too much like my father for his own good, as he too believed that there was little time for goofing off and that most if not all of a Himaku's life should be spent dedicated to Iwa and the clan."

"Anyway, when my brother found us hiding out in the woods he ordered all of us to come back to the village to be punished, to which we refused and immediately tried to escape. Of course Akihiro was not going to take no for an answer and instead tried to capture us, leading us to face off against him... or so I thought, as when I turned around I saw that both Deidara or Kurotsuchi had ran away and left me there to fight Akihiro alone!" Akito continue with a chuckle, pausing for a moment as a smile crept over his face at the memory of that day.

"Oh man, my brother… he was so mad. I tried to fight him in an effort to escape, but at that point I was barely an academy student and he had just passed Iwagakure's Chunin Exam… let's just say it wasn't much of a fight." Akito finished, though as the story came to an end and the reality of the weeks that followed returned, the nostalgic smile on his face slowly faded.

"That was the last time we fought against one another… he died a few weeks later." He added as his eyes looked down to the empty ramen bowl in front of him as Kisa, who had known about his brother's death from one of their earlier conversations, frowned.

She had often wondered what had happened to Akihiro but had never asked about his fate fearing that the question would be too intrusive, but now, given the connection and trust she could feel growing between them, she felt it was something she should know.

"If you don't mind me asking… what happened to Akihiro?" She asked softly as the boy looked up at her and nodded in an effort to show that her question wasn't out of line.

"A few months before I was sent here to participate in the Exchange Program Iwagakure received a request for a team of shinobi to head out to the south-west most portion of the Land of Earth to a prominent mining village known as Koseki. There had been some sort of dispute between the mining companies and their workers there and according to the requester, a representative of the miners, the whole village was on the brink of armed conflict and in need of mediator."

"The mission was slated as an A-Rank, well above the level a new chunin should be participating in, but Akihiro caught wind of the mission and insisted he wanted to be involved; all in a bid to impress the Tsuchikage. My mother was quick to shoot this idea down, but my father… he was all for it. He believed that we should always strive to advance ourselves by any means necessary and was constantly pushing us to go above and beyond to make ourselves known as powerful ninja… so Akihiro went." Akito continued, his mind doing it's best to accurately recall everything that had happened.

"But when they arrived in Koseki the town was in pieces. The mining company hired their own shinobi to resolve the dispute by any means necessary, which to them meant burning down the town and killing dozens of the workers who stood up against them… and when my brother and his team made it clear that this crime would not go unpunished, it meant killing them too." He added, though as the story came closer to its conclusion, his eyes drifted from hers to the empty bowls on the counter in front of them.

"Iwagakure sent eight shinobi total, three jonin and five chunin, of which only the jonin and a single chunin returned. My brother wasn't one of them and they… they never found his body."

Hearing his heartbreak as he described such a horrible story, Kisa subconsciously pulled her left hand up to her chest and gripped the necklace around her neck. It seemed that his brother's death was something that still weighed heavily on his mind despite having happened so long ago and that it had altered his entire life, just as her father's had her own.

Could this be what sparked her connection to him? The knowledge that they had both lose someone they were close to? Each knew of the other's loss so it was possible, though now it seemed that those feelings were much more prominent than mutual compassion. He was opening up about things that she could tell he told very few people if any at all, and in that aspect she should too.

"I… was nearly finished with the academy when my father died." The girl began a few moments later without warning as Akito looked up with surprise. It was rare for her to mention her father and even rarer for her to go into detail, especially twice in one day, but if she was willing to tell him he certainly going to listen.

"My mom died during childbirth so for most of my life it was just my father and I, though when my father would head out of town I would sometimes stay with my grandparents. He was a great man who not only did everything he could to always make sure we always had food on our plates and a roof over our heads, but to raise me as well. He taught me everything I know; from how to braid my hair to how to read and right… he was even the first person to train me how to be a shinobi."

"After what happened at Yosuga Pass, Mizukage Yagura put out a call to all shinobi in Kiri to act, doubling bounties placed against Hidden Stone shinobi and offering incentives to those who could complete missions to undermine Iwa's authority, one of which my father accepted in the hope of collecting on of these enormous pay checks… just like Jun." She continued as her neutral expression slowly began to decline into a soft frown and her grip on the necklace tightened.

"I don't know what happened exactly, just that their mission didn't go as planned. The assignment was supposed to take three days, but… but it wasn't until the twelfth that we learned the horrible truth; they hadn't returned because all but one of them had been killed, and that the lone survivor had passed away on the way back to Kiri for medical care." The girl nearly finished before looking down at the table in front of her; tears welling up in her eyes and then promptly rolling down her cheeks as she did so.

"I-I found out later that the survivor was my father, and that he just… couldn't hold on." She added as Akito looked down at the bar with a shameful, somber expression as the reality of her father's death proved hard to swallow. Before meeting Kisa the events that took place at Yosuga Pass were nothing more than a dark part of the past, but now, seeing the outcome of such treachery, it felt as if the decades-old betrayal was happening right in front of him now in her heart; the tears of sorrow running down her face breaking his own.

"Kisa I'm… I'm so sorry. Nothing I say or can ever justify or fix what's happened… and I won't pretend that it can." He replied as he bit his lip and tried desperately to make sense of what has happened and why, though each thought came back to the same conclusion: it shouldn't have.

"I… I understand now why you hate Iwagakure… why you hate me." Akito added as he continued to keep his eyes away from the girl, though at his words the girl's own immediately shot towards him; her mind instantly recalling back to their fight in Otogakure's bunker as he offered to trade his life to make up for her father's death. Did he really think she hated him still? That was far from the truth.

"I don't hate you, Akito. Not anymore…" Kisa replied with a sniffle after another brief second if silence, bringing Akito's eyes to look up to her as once more her face flushed to dark pink shade in preparation for her to speak again.

"In fact, I don't think I ever could again… not after everything you've done for us… for me." She confessed as much to the boy's surprise she slowly reached out and took his hand in hers, taking the breath out of him as his face too changed to a dark red color.

Could this he real? Did she really just reach over and take his hand? Did that mean what she said and that she really didn't hate him after all?

"I-I hope not." He replied as he began to instinctively stroke the back of her hand with his thumb, causing the girl's heart to flutter as she too smiled and their eyes stayed locked together.

With Akito things were different than any other man she had met before, not even with Takao or remarkably even Jun. There was nothing she felt that she could say or do that would change how he looked at her. For the first time in her life she felt a deep enough connection to someone to not only weaken her defenses to let them in but trust them as well, and while this prospect scared her more than anything, she help but feel like this was what her heart wanted. This was what she wanted.

Walking back up to the counter after finishing up cleaning the kitchen, Ayame looked at the two customers in front of her as they stared at one another.

"Hey you two, not to be rude but we are closing for the night." She stated as both of them shifted their eyes to her and then to the clock on the wall above which, much to their surprise, had just struck midnight.

"Have we really been here for four hours already?" Kisa questioned as Akito laughed and shook his head before letting go of Kisa's hand to stand to his feet. He then pulled a handful of ryu from his pocket and placed it in the counter to pay for their meal, plus a hearty tip to make up for their loitering.

"It would appear so. I guess we should get back, huh?" He replied as he looked back to Kisa who, after discovering that she rather missed the warmth of his hand, took it once more and weaved their fingers together; regardless of the fingerless gloves he wore to hide his kinjutsu.

"Lead the way."

Looking up from her stove while pouring herself a cup of tea, Tsunade couldn't help but grin at the sight before her as Kisa and Akito sat next to one another on her couch, talking back and forth with Takao. She was already asleep when the two snuck in some time after midnight and by the time she woke up they were as well, standing on the deck watching the sunrise, immediately confirming to Tsunade that pushing the date to happen was a good idea after all and that it had been a success. She was even laughing a little; something she thought for sure the girl was incapable of.

"So you two, how was your night? You were certainly out late." The Fifth questioned during a lull in the three's laughter, bringing both Akito and Kisa to look to one another and smile.

"It was good, um… Akito showed me around the village, including all the places he used to go when he was a student here." She replied as Tsunade's grin widened.

"Well that's great. I'm glad you both had fun." Tsunade responded as Akito nodded towards her to silently thank her for pushing him to take her out in the first place, bringing the woman to do the same before looking towards Takao as he chuckled.

"I knew it was only a matter of time. She hasn't taken her eyes off Akito since we first found him lying in that ditch!" He exclaimed as he ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to tame his wild bedhead, instantly causing both of their faces to darken as Kisa scowled.

"T-That's not true, shut up Takao!" She commanded as she kicked his leg in frustration, causing everyone to laugh for a moment before everyone's attention abruptly shifted towards the apartment's front door as Shizune entered.

Seeing her newest friend enter the room, Kisa's frustration quickly tampered off and a small friendly smile replaced her irritated scowl.

"Goodmorning Shizune." She stated as the woman smiled and waved, though is clear that something was troubling her.

"Madam Hokage, I just got back from the office. There is an issue I think you need to deal with in person as soon as possible." Shizune stated as she walked towards Tsunade, bringing the Fifth to tilt her head to the side.

"An issue this early in the morning? It's not even eight o'clock. What could possibly be wrong?" She asked as Shizune fell silent, her eyes shifted from Tsunade to the guests that had been staying with her for the past two weeks and then back to the Hokage.

"A man claiming to be a delegate from Kirigakure showed up at the gates with a team of Hunter-nin about an hour ago. They… they are here to negotiate for the release of Takao and Kisa into their custody." She stated as Takao and Akito looked to one another and then to Kisa, who's eyes remained locked to Shizune's in pure horror.

They knew this was a possibility ever since they came to Konoha but after nearly two weeks it felt as if the danger had passed, or at least she wished it would have. Did this mean they would have no choice but to go back to their home to face trial? Would everything she feared come true even after all? What about Akito, what would he do? Would he still come with them to prove she was innocent?

After helping to fight Raigetsu off there was no doubt in her mind that the boy had been labeled a criminal in the Land of Water, meaning that even if they were proven innocent he would still be tired as a criminal and, if found guilty, executed. No, that couldn't happen! He couldn't sacrifice himself to save them!

Overcome by emotion, Kisa reached up and grasped the necklace on her chest as her heart began to race, simultaneously dropping her deep blues down to the floor. However, as she began to break down she watched from the corner of her eyes as Akito reached out and took her hand, bringing her sight back up to his as he formed a small, halfhearted smile.

"It will be alright." He said softly as the two of them stared into one another's eyes for a moment or two, eventually bringing Kisa to nod as she swallowed nervously and tightened her grip on his hand. She believed him. She had to believe him. Everything had to be okay.

Looking back to the trio as well, Tsunade took a deep breath and stood to her feet before walking off towards her own room to change into something more official than the clothes she lounged around in.

"Get dressed everyone. This might be a long day." She stated as Akito looked back to Takao with a subtle nod as he in turn turned towards Kisa who after a few seconds nodded, understanding her role as the leader of what remained of their team, bringing the tall blonde man across from her to stand with a feigned grin of confidence.

"Let's go!"


	16. Chapter 16: Runaway

Waiting for the arrival of their unwelcome guests, the trio of foreign ninja as well as the Hokage sat in an almost complete silence; the tension in the room so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Although they had been in the office for nearly an hour they had yet to catch sight of the Kiri envoy despite Tsunade issuing the order for them to be brought forth to the office immediately, causing even more irritation to the already well agitated group.

"What is taking them so long? It's been nearly an hour." Takao complained as he sat on the windowsill looking out at the village bringing Tsunade, who herself sat rather impatiently behind her desk with her hands pressed together against her lips in thought, to speak up.

"Relax Takao. They are probably going through the security screening, just as you did when you first arrived here." She stated in reply as Takao sighed and shifted his eyes back towards his friends, both of whom sat silently on a couch in the corner of the room. Up until an hour ago Kisa was happy, talking freely and giggling for the first time since Jun's death. But since the announcement of the envoy's arrival she had again fallen silent.

"Pssh, don't remind me. I still don't understand why Akito was permitted to retain his weapons while mine were confiscated until just yesterday, and even then I had to give them back at the end of the day." He replied with a smirk in an attempt to lighten the mood as Akito looked up to him and shook his head while grinning.

"That's because I've been a guest of Konoha on and off now for nearly a decade… you're just some big oaf that walked in here three weeks ago." Akito replied jokingly as Takao laughed, though the boy's attention instantly returned to the girl at his side as she continued to sit forward with her arms wrapped around her stomach nervously.

"Are you okay?" He questioned softly despite the fact that he already knew it wasn't, causing the girl's eyes to dart to his as she shook her head; the distraught look on her face causing his heart to ache, as it was clear that she was struggling to maintain her composure.

"It's going to be alright. They are not going to take you and Takao. Lady Tsunade won't let them... I won't let them." He stated quietly, mirroring his promise to her shortly after Jun's death and bringing her to bite her lip as she gently nodded. His promise to keep them safe had been upheld thus far, leaving her to believe, or at least hope, that it would continue to do so now.

"I know you won't Akito... I-" She began to reply as a flicker by the window caused everyone's attention to rapidly shift towards it as a figure wearing a white cloak and one of Konoha's signature Anbu masks stood to his feet.

"Sorry for the delay, Madam Hokage. Our guests have been searched and are walking in the front door as we speak." The man stated from beneath his mask as Takao's eyes focused on him, instantly identifying him as one of them men who had come to their aid at the gates of the village. He had thought the voice sounded familiar, but based on the fact that this man bore the same bird-shaped mask he was now sure.

Looking to the Anbu to her side from the corner of her eye, Tsunade took a deep breath and nodded as she mentally prepared to deal with Kiri's envoy. The Hidden Mist was typically very hard to negotiate with for any reason, especially when it had to do with shinobi from their nation. In all honesty it would have been much more appropriate and surely easier on her part to turn over Kisa and Takao to their village's representatives but now, knowing their story and especially with Kisa's condition, that option was far from on the table.

"Thank you. Will you be staying for the meeting?" She questioned to which the masked man nodded.

"That is my orders, ma'am. The emissary they sent is a member of Kiri's Anbu himself and is regarded as one of the village's most dangerous assassins, as well as part of the Hozuki clan. Boss feels it is best if I remain present." The man responded as chills instantaneously shot up Kisa's spine. There was no way this was a coincidence. Kiri sent Raigetsu, the man she nearly killed, to collect her and Takao.

"It's him. I-It's Raigetsu..." She muttered to herself under her breath as Akito's eyes narrowed on hers, his mind recalling their fight as well as his anger against the man for his willingness to throw away Kisa's life in fear of the seal on her neck. He cared not for the situation the two of them had found themselves nor did he care for Kisa's affliction, instead choosing to take the easiest way out; something that was so horrendous, so despicable in his eyes that he could feel his blood boiling.

Having heard Kisa's words Tsunade shifted her eyes to watching as Akito reached out and placed his hand overtop of Kisa's to try to reassure her that everything would be alright, causing her to come to the conclusion that this must be the man who originally tried to bring them back to Kiri prior to their arrival in the village. From what Akito had told her it appeared that this Raigetsu cared little for his fellow shinobi's life and planned to complete his mission at all costs. This was nothing unexpected of an Anbu, especially one from Kiri, it would certainly make the following negotiations significantly more difficult.

Breaking her focus on the two a few seconds later, the Fifth locked her gaze to her office door as the latch suddenly turned and opened, revealing her assistant as well as three shinobi behind her, only one of which did not wear the traditional Kiri Anbu mask over his face despite being dressed in the same Anbu garb as the others.

"Madam Hokage, this is Raigetsu Hozuki." Shizune stated as the three figures entered the room and walked to it's center before bowing in the appropriate manner while to their side Kisa watched with wide eyes that fixated on Raigetsu specifically, as well as what appeared to be some kind of prosthetic arm in the form of a black rubber glove that extended up past the location of his amputation to almost his elbow where it was secured by a thick, tightly fastened strap.

"We are thankful that you have agreed to meet with us on such short notice, Madam Hokage." The man stated as in the distance Takao slid off of his seat at the window sill and made his way back to Kisa and Akito's side, the latter of which watched his former adversaries as if at any moment they could strike out against them once again, especially since both of the Anbu at his side were the shinobi he himself fought against.

"I believe that we had little choice, if we are to be frank. Honestly, I thought that this conversation would have come a lot sooner, seeing as how it has been nearly three weeks since your fellow ninja showed up at our doorsteps." Tsunade replied as Raigetsu smirked.

"This meeting is indeed long overdue and I apologize for that. After our encounter with the traitors in our midst I was forced to take a brief recovery period… but I assure you that I am better now." The man replied as his eyes looked towards the two he spoke of to his side, causing Kisa's blue orbs to dash down to the floor in fear of seeing the man who she once saw as a comrade.

Her eyes observing the brief exchange between fellow Mist ninja, Tsunade lifted her head up and brought both of her hands back down to the desk in front of her as she cleared her throat.

"So let's get right down to business, then. From what I have heard I can already assume that you are here to seek the release of Kisa Hakaru and Takao Moshi into your custody, correct?" She questioned, to which Raigetsu nodded and promptly replied.

"That is correct, Madam Hokage."

Hearing his reply, Tsunade narrowed her eyes on the man before veering a bit to his left towards Shizune who stood by the door in an obviously uneasy fashion, both by the presence of foreign Anbu operators as well as the subject matter which they spoke of.

"And the crimes of which they are accused?" She questioned next, bringing Raigetsu's eyes to narrow on the woman with the hunch that there was a game being played.

"Takao Moshi is accused of blatantly violating Mizukage Mei's orders not to interfere with Otogakure affairs as well as assault on seven shinobi acting on behalf of the village, while Kisara Hikaru stands accused of all of the aforementioned crimes as well as possession of a highly dangerous kinjutsu that poses a threat to all those around her." The man replied, causing Kisa's heart to sink. A threat to everyone? Could that really be true? Was she that dangerous?

The charges being brought against them were significant and each single charge came with the risk of both jail time as well as the removal of their status as shinobi, but Raigetsu's insistence that her usage of a kinjutsu labeled her a threat to the village all but reassured the girl that she would likely be tried to face the death penalty if found guilty, twisting her stomach into a tight knot that nearly brought her to throw up.

Would she really be killed for something that was beyond her control? She didn't ask to have a curse seal placed on him nor did she attempt to attack them afterwards. Didn't they understand? It wasn't unlike Yagura's regime to punish without question, but would Mizukage Mei really do the same?

Biting her lip and averting her gaze down to the floor, Kisa slowly pulled her arms in closer to her stomach in an attempt to ward off the mounting nausea as Akito watched Raigetsu's eyes shift towards him over his shoulder, instantly causing them to glare at one another as the man formed a small, determined smirk.

"I'm also requesting the extradition of the boy from the Hidden Stone's Explosive Corps on seven charges of assault on a Kiri shinobi, two charges of aiding and abetting a Kiri fugitive and one additional charge for working against our village's interests in a clandestine manner." Raigetsu added, bringing Kisa's attention to return to the envoy with a small, audible gasp.

She may be at risk for a death penalty, but if Akito was found guilty he would more than likely be killed. Even if the Mizukage granted them leniency it seemed unlikely that the village's council would allow said kindness to be passed on to a foreign ninja accused of acting against the village, especially one from Iwagakure.

Watching Kisa's reaction, Tsunade took a deep breath as she prepared a straightforward yet appropriate response for the envoy in front of her.

"I'm afraid that I will have to deny your request, Mr. Hozuki." She replied as Raigetsu's vision returned from his trio of intended prisoners back to the Hokage.

"Which?" He asked, immediately prompting Tsunade to answer.

"All of them."

Narrowing his eyes on the blonde woman behind the desk, Raigetsu remained silent for a brief moment before speaking up again.

"Madam Hokage these asylum-seekers are currently wanted as criminals in Kirigakure and as such fall under our direct responsibility to track down, capture and arraign. Neither Kisara or Takao are connected to Konoha in any way, and that boy is from a village that for many, many years has stood as a direct enemy to your people. What reason do you have to defend them at the risk of the safety of your own people?" The man questioned with a hint of annoyance as the Konoha Anbu operative angled his head a little further down in order to catch a more direct glimpse of his Hidden Mist rival.

"Watch your tongue, Kiri. Hint at putting Konoha in danger again and you might be the one being ousted before their time." The operative warned as he took a step towards Raigetsu, forcing Tsunade to wave him back with her left hand and waiting for him to stop before responding to Raigetsu's inquiry.

"They might not be from Konoha but I assure you that they are far from disconnected from this place. Over the past three weeks I have grown to know Takao and Kisa enough to understand their plight, and thanks to the young Himaku's testimony in their defense I entirely believe that their story is the truth, making it hard for me to release them to face what appears to be a rather unfeeling persecution." The Hokage replied, again making Raigetsu huff.

"You should know better than to trust a Stone shinobi. They constantly lie, cheat and stab others in the back to get the upper hand. Konoha has been shafted by their kind many times over, just like we have. Some of us seem to have forgotten that." The man replied as he looked back to Kisa and Takao, bringing the man to speak up.

"Akito has never lied to us and he has certainly never attempted to stab us in the back. In fact, he had multiple chances to run away and leave us to fend for ourselves, yet he voluntarily stayed to help us. If he hadn't we wouldn't be here right now. Unlike you." He replied with a tinge of anger to which Raigetsu simply smirked, bringing Tsunade to speak up to avoid what she felt was an imminent argument.

"Even if Akito was lying it still wouldn't change the fact that the kinjutsu you speak of was not only unwillingly placed on Kisa, but done so by a rogue ninja from our own village. That makes us partial responsible for this whole situation. These curse marks are something we do not fully understand and despite our limited knowledge of Orochimaru's research I feel she is best left here under my care. Do you really believe she would be any better off in your custody?" She asked, though with a rather stern look Raigetsu turned back to her and shook his head.

"Her affliction does not change the fact that she still proceeded to attack official agents of the Hidden Mist, curse mark or not. If anything that mark simply stands to prove just how dangerous this fugitive is, as well as how easy it was for Takao to go from loyal shinobi to criminal. But if you are truly concerned, I can assure you she will be in good hands." The Anbu responded, instantly bringing Akito, who had silently scowled at the man in anger throughout the conversation thus far, to stand up to his feet and object.

"Good hands? When you found out she been marked your solution was to kill her, how can we trust that you won't just do the same as soon as you make it past Konoha's walls?" The boy objected with a hint of anger, causing Raigetsu to look over his shoulder at him.

"If you recall it was Kisa who attacked first. Mizukage Mei's orders are to eliminate any Otogakure abomination encountered in the field, and like it or not that is what Kisa has become. I was doing my duty by attempting to neutralize her."

Hearing Raigetsu speak, Akito gnashed his teeth together in anger and stepped forward towards the man, but as the Anbu in the yellow mask moved to stop him Kisa stood to her feet, reached out and grabbed his wrist, immediately bringing him to a halt and turn towards her.

"No Akito… he's right." She replied as she looked down in shame. Hearing Raigetsu's recollection of the events caused her to think back to the moment she watched him slice open Akito's face, instantly filling her with rage and causing her to lose control of herself. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but was she really the reason all of this happened? Was she the reason Akito nearly died to protect her and why both he and Takao were now wanted as criminals?

"I did attack him first, this is all my fault. I'm… I'm a monster." Kisa added as she looked up at the boy whose mind focused on the words leaving her mouth, bringing him to shake his head. She wasn't an abomination, nor was she a monster. She was far from any of that and he was not going to let this guy bring her down like that when she was only just now starting to be herself again.

"You are not a monster, Kisa. You didn't attack them of your own will, it was Orochimaru's. None of this was your fault." He stated as he gently slid his hand into hers from it's position on his wrist as Raigetsu watched, though his eyes shifted to the boy's a second later as he spun around to face him.

"But if _you_ would have just listened and given her and Takao a chance, you wouldn't have forced her curse to activate. They were your friends, your comrades... and you abandoned them despite knowing that the curse mark was controlling her."

"You can say whatever you want about me, about my people, but you are the one who is an abomination." Akito finished after a brief pause, much to the surprise of everyone in the room, including Tsunade. In all the time she had known the boy she had never known him to speak out like this during an official meeting, especially in front of her.

Hearing his insult the kunoichi behind the yellow Anbu mask laughed under her breath though it was clear that she was annoyed by what he was saying.

"Those are some tall words coming from the real monster in the room, mouth-for-hands. You won't have much to say when your head's laying at your feet." The Anbu snickered as Kisa pushed her way in front of Akito and let go of his hand; her eyes staring right into the darkened holes in the woman's mask as her face quickly changed from her somber, depressed demeanor to fury in a manner similar to her snap in the woods.

"Don't you _dare_ threaten him." She commanded through clenched teeth as she tightened her fists, bringing Akito to look at her in surprise and Shizune to quickly move from her position at the door frame to between the two parties in an effort to defuse the situation before it could escalate any further that it already had.

"Alright that's enough!" She ordered as her eyes shifted between all of them, leaving Tsunade in silence as she watched the tense exchange of glares between her young guests and the man who had come to take them away. Like the others she too had noticed Kisa's swift transition from sadness to anger as well, though she couldn't quite tell if it was because of her feelings for Akito, the curse mark on her neck or a combination of both.

"Everyone needs to take a step back and relax." The Fifth commanded in support of her assistant, waiting for the four to separate before continuing to speak.

"Turning back to your counter argument, while I understand that shinobi from Kiri are indeed within your jurisdiction, I do not believe it is in the best interest of any party for Kisa and Takao, and certainly not Akito, to go with you. As such, I will have to again deny your request to extradite them into your custody." Tsunade continued, bringing Raigetsu to again counter argue his point as to their side Kisa shrunk back behind Akito, her emotions again bouncing from anger to shame as she looked down at the ground beneath Akito's feet and grabbed her chest.

Turning his head towards Kisa as she pulled both of her hands in, Akito grew nervous. Although her outburst was in his defense he too had caught on to the rather sudden shift in her mood, causing his own worry about her mental state and if this stress that was mounting on her shoulders could possibly lead to the curse mark taking over.

With his eyes still locked to Kisa's face the boy slowly reached out behind him with his right hand, bringing Kisa to focus on it for a second before taking it her own, interlocking their fingers together tightly as their eyes did the same; their actions hidden to everyone but Takao, who silently grinned to himself.

Although he said nothing she knew that Akito was attempting to keep her calm and make her feel safe, bringing her to bite her lip and nod her head in appreciation. He didn't need to try and make her feel better buy yet he still did, despite the fact that the warmth from his gloved hands was causing a small blush to form on her cheeks regardless of the situation unfolding around them.

Mouthing a thank you to the boy in front of her and squeezing his hand gently both Kisa and Akito's eyes returned to Tsunade as the woman began to slowly raise her voice to both interrupt the man's next sentence and match the growing annoyance in Raigetsu's continued objection.

"The bottom line, Mr. Hozuki, is that you have come her to _request_ that I release Takao and Kisa; a request that I have denied through three separate attempts of you trying to convince me otherwise. If that does not show you that I have little intent to change my mind on this matter I am not sure what else will, and I do believe that it is time that I bring this meeting to an end." The Hokage stated in a rather stern and official manner as Raigetsu closed his mouth, suppressing what would have been his fourth attempt to convince the woman of the error of her ways.

"I see. That is… rather unfortunate." The man replied as he took a deep breath and tightened the strap holding the rubber glove on his amputated forearm in place; his calm demeanor quite convincing despite that face that everyone in the room could clearly tell how irritated he truly was by Tsunade's continued objection to his demands.

"Well, regardless of how much of an infringement on Kiri's sovereignty this act is I guess that means we truly are done here. I thank you for your hospitality, Madam Hokage. I hope that our next meeting will be more… cooperative." He continued as he and his two escorts bowed and turned to leave through the door with Shizune, but as Raigetsu began to walk he abruptly stopped, turned towards the trio huddled around the couch and grinned before leaning in towards them.

"You three can't hide behind these walls forever. Eventually you will have to venture outside of Konoha, and when you do… I'll be waiting." He said in a quiet yet threatening voice as his eyes descended on Kisa, who he could now see was holding the Stone boy's hand behind his back, bringing him to form an amused grin. Was this why he seemed so determined to keep her safe and was even willing to travel to their village to do it?

"If your father could see this he would be beyond disappointed." He then added, sending a shiver up the girl's spine and causing her to gasp as Akito stepped forward in front of her with an angered scowl; his teeth clenched tightly as the two locked their eyes to one another. However their glare didn't last, as seconds later Tsunade stood up from her seat in preparation for what she believed would become an all out brawl in her office, prompting Raigetsu to simply smirk and continue on his way.

Waiting until the three Kiri Anbu and Shizune exited the room and shut the door, Akito let out a small growl from under his breath in an attempt to calm himself down. There was no way that his comment was meant to do anything besides attempt to destabilize Kisa's emotions, likely to try and cause her to lose control of the curse mark, causing his blood to boil in his veins.

"Bastard!" He snarled as he watched the door cautiously for a second in expectation that Raigetsu may come back as Kisa's eyes slowly drifted to the floor in front of her.

Disappointed? What did he mean? Was it because everything that had happened, or did he specifically mean Akito? Sure he was from Iwagakure, but for the first time since her father was killed she felt like she was truly connected to someone on a level that was almost unimaginable. Was the connection they shared really that wrong… could her father really be disappointed in her because of him?

Seeing Akito's anger Takao stepped forward and nodded in agreement as he came to the boy's side with his arms tightly crossed.

"That was completely uncalled for, regardless of everything that went down." He added, prompting Akito to look towards him to answer before redirecting his attention to Kisa, who without warning let go of his hand and again pulled both of her own up to her chest nervously as her anxiety began to become overbearing.

This was never going to end. Raigetsu was not going to give up on bringing them back to Kiri to face persecution, nor was he going to let Akito's crimes against the village stand. They were all in danger, including the Hokage and Shizune, and no matter what Akito believed she knew it was her fault. If she wouldn't have snapped and attacked them they wouldn't have ever been in this mess. Was there any way to get out of this with their freedom, let alone their lives?

Her breath quivering as her heart began to race the girl took a step back away from everyone as once more Akito became leery of what was going on inside of her head.

"Kisa?" He questioned as the girl's blue eyes looked back up to him from the floor, though after a brief second of staring into his dark brown orbs she simply looked back at his feet in embarrassment.

"I-I'm fine." Kisa replied as Akito, knowing that wasn't actually the case, stepped a bit closer towards her with a tinge of worry. She had only begun to recover from the depression that had been lingering over her since he returned and the last thing he wanted was for this encounter with Raigetsu to bring it back full force, let alone activate her curse mark.

"Don't listen to him. None of this was your fault and your father-" He began to say in an attempt to comfort her as he reached out to place his hand on her shoulder, but before he could place it on her salmon-pink hoodie the girl lashed out.

"I said I'm fine!" She exclaimed as she hit Akito's hand away from her as hard as she could, filling the room with a loud slap that caused the room to fall completely silent; the look on her face temporarily mirroring the same wild, infuriated expression she had when she challenged the kunoichi in the yellow Kiri mask before swiftly softening back to that of distressed horror.

In shame she quickly shot her eyes down to her feet as her hands desperately grabbed at her necklace beneath her shirt. Why would she do that to him? He was trying to help her and she… she hit him. Why? Was it because he mentioned her father? No, it couldn't be. Was all of this stress getting to her? Was this because of Raigetsu or the curse mark? Did that even matter?

Looking back up at his eyes as they continued to stare at her she held her breath, trying her best to analyze his emotions. She thought for sure that he would be mad that she struck him, though much to her surprise it seemed Akito was more solemn than anything, holding the hand that she had slapped close to his chest as his eyes remained locked to her. He looked sad, causing her stomach to turn even further.

"Akito, I'm… I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I'm sorry." She said softly, bringing the boy to snap from his stare and shake his head a bit. In that moment he was struck with a rush of emotions all at once, but the clearest out of all of them was the sting of rejection and embarrassment; something he had not felt like this in a long time. Even though they had talked about her father he knew better than to bring it up, so why would he do so? Why was he such an idiot?

"It's okay." He replied as their eyes lingered on one another for a second before shifting behind her towards Tsunade who, after witnessing the girl's action, had been staring at the back of her neck to try and determine if her little outburst was a truly a result of the curse's influence or not. Given how they were acting this morning and the success of their date last night she found it hard to believe that Kisa would willingly reject his comfort let alone hit him, causing her to fear that there was indeed something else at work here.

"Well that was certainly not what I wanted to endure so early in the morning." The Hokage stated as she stood up from her desk as Takao snickered.

"Yeah well it's the Kiri tradition to show up uninvited. Haven't you caught on to that yet?" He joked in an attempt to lighten the mood in the room, to which Tsunade simply shook her head.

"That is apparent."

Shifting her attention back to Kisa as she stepped out from behind her desk and approached, Tsunade tilted her head to the side.

"Are you sure you are alright?" She questioned as the ashamed girl nodded and averted her eyes away from the Hokage to try and hide the distress building inside of her.

"I'm fine, Lady Tsunade. I swear." Kisa replied regardless of the fact that Tsunade could tell she was lying, bringing the Hokage to stare at her for a moment before taking a deep breath and nodding.

"I think that it would best for the time being if you three refrain from venturing far from my home. I don't trust that man and although I would like to believe he would respect Konoha's borders I can not guarantee with absolute certainty that he will not try and infiltrate our walls." She added as her vision drifted to Akito and Takao, waiting on each of them to nod before she moved on to the other and then eventually Kisa again.

"When Shizune gets back I will have her escort you back. I would do it myself, but it would appear that I now have work to do." She added before looking back to the Anbu behind her.

"Gather the other heads. We are having a meeting."

Hearing her order the Anbu immediately bowed his head and prepared to head out to do as he was told.

"Yes, Madam Hokage."

Walking back to the Fifth's apartment the group remained almost completely silent despite Takao's several attempts to make them laugh as the reality of what was happening continued to weigh heavily on both Kisa and Akito's mind, the former of which continued to rapidly sift through her memories. Regardless of how miniscule of a slap it was she still couldn't believe that she hit him to begin with, and even though he said it was okay she did not.

Entering the apartment behind Shizune the group immediately spread out, allowing Takao to stretch in a dramatic fashion as he took a wide, theatrical yawn.

"Now that's over, who's hungry?" He questioned as he looked around the room, bringing Shizune to raise a brow towards him in disbelief.

"You are actually hungry after that?" She questioned as Takao scoffed.

"I'm always hungry. Have you even met me?" The man replied as he ventured towards the fridge while on the other side of the room Kisa looked at the group, trying to pull herself together long enough to formulate something to say. But as her eyes landed on Akito as he stood at the door aimlessly she simply looked back down to the floor and bit her tongue. What could she say to them that wouldn't be preceded by her horrible outburst?

The worst part was that the whole incident was a blur. One moment she was contemplating reaching out to take the boy's hand again and the next she was striking him away. What would make her do that to him? Could things go back to the way they were the night before and this morning like she wished they would?

Exiting the fridge with a handful of leftover ingredients he had purchased in the days prior including a wrapped pack of meat that hung by it's twine from his mouth, Takao looked back to the three others in the room as he kicked the fridge door shut and grinned.

"Come on, I'll make us something special for breakfast. Don't make me eat alone!" He exclaimed as Shizune sighed.

"Fine, Takao. But let me give you a hand before you drop it all." She replied, bringing the man to grin.

"Good! Akito, Kisa?" He then asked in an excited tone, causing Akito to sigh as well as a forced grin formed on his lips.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Akito replied as he looked over to Kisa to see what her response would be, but after only a brief connection of their eyes the girl looked away and shook her head.

"No thank you, Takao. I'm… I'm just going to lay down for a little while." She responded, causing Akito's worry to intensify as the fear that she may again slip into a depression returned after being dispelled the night before. He was so happy that she had fun and that she had finally eaten a full meal, yet now it seemed that it was all for not.

"Are… are you sure aren't hungry, Kisa?" He questioned cautiously despite his apprehension in doing so, bringing Kisa to look at him for a brief second before again shaking her head.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry." She replied with a small, feigned smile before turning to the door in front of her and opening it. However, as she turned to shut it behind herself her eyes again returned to Akito as he continued to stare at her, though after only a moment she closed the door the rest of the way. She was still not ready to face him after what she had done, despite her desire to once more feel the warmth and serenity from his hands.

Just because she was not ready to face him did not mean that everything was okay however, and as the door's latch clicked into place Kisa stood still; her mind beginning to rapidly deconstruct as her eyes desperately fought to contain the tidal wave of tears forming against her will.

Biting her lip to fight back a sniffle, Kisa placed her forehead and her hands to the door as the first of her tears descended down her cheeks to the wooden floor below. Where did everything go wrong? If they never would have accepted that mission in the Land of Sound none of this would have ever happened. Jun would still be alive, they would have never been labeled rogue ninja and they would all be sitting back home in Kiri goofing off just like they had done for years as a team, regardless of the financial hardships they were facing.

Yet, then they would have never met Akito. She would have never known that there was a good Stone ninja out there nor would she have ever found someone she truly felt connected with. If they wouldn't have found him would he have died? He could have easily been pulled back into the creek to drown, and the fact that the thought of him doing so twisted her heart with sadness showed just how much meeting him meant to her.

But does that really even matter now? If Raigetsu has his way both she and Akito will die and Takao will spend the rest of his life in prison, while if he doesn't they will be confined to Konoha's walls forever, never destined to be free. What kind of life would that be to live? How will they?

Deteriorating to silent sobs that gradually grew louder the girl turned around to place her back to the door before slowly sliding down to a seated position with her knees pulled up to her chest. How could this be where life has taken them? Would this be the end of all things or was there some way out? Was there something she could do to stop all this? This had to be a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. Why couldn't she wake up?

Having walked to the door with the hope that by the time he reached the handle he would have built up enough nerve to knock, Akito couldn't help but overhear as Kisa backed into the door, slid down and began to cry, bringing him to pause as his heart sank into a deep pit. For her to be crying he knew that whatever pain she was feeling must be quite severe, making him wish he could help take it away, but with what had happened in Tsunade's office still fresh in his mind the decision to do so was nowhere near as easy as it was the night before.

Up until now his attempts to comfort her had always been welcomed, leading him to believe that the barrier that once existed between them was gone, but now it didn't seem that way. Now it felt as if he once again needed to police his actions and cautiously approach her with any further sensitive action not just to avoid angering her, but to avoid feeling the sharp sting of her rejection again.

He had only ever opened up far enough to be vulnerable like this once before, but the last time he did so he ended up nearly crippled on both a physical and mental level. If he was going to keep his promise to Tsunade that he would help her through this hard time regardless of their feelings towards one another he needed to take it slow and give her some time and space… even if it felt like one the most difficult things he had ever done in his life.

"I'm sorry, Kisa." He whispered under his breath as he too now placed his forehead to the door for a moment before Takao's voice called out to him from behind.

"Oi, Akito. You coming or what?" The man questioned as Akito looked back to him and slowly nodded. Maybe later he would find the courage to speak up, but until then he needed to do whatever he could to keep his mind occupied, less her continue to pester the girl who seemed to want to be left alone.

Over the course of the next few hours Kisa found herself unable to do anything more than mope around her room, moving from the door to the windowsill and eventually to her bed where she curled into a ball and remained for nearly ten hours, all of which was spent awake and in tears as her thoughts ran rampant through her mind in a desperate search for a solution to their predicament. However, despite all of her thinking it seemed that there was no apparent solution in sight, deepening her sorrow and causing her to consider more drastic measures, including one that became more prominent as time passed by.

Raigetsu was one of Kiri's most decorated hunter-nin and would not stop until he had his prey in hand, but if she was able to somehow make it past him and his group back to Kiri in order to explain to the Mizukage what happened maybe she could make all of this go away; clearing their name and saving them from persecution. But if that didn't work, she had another plan. If someone absolutely had to pay for what had been done, if someone had to face trial and execution, it had to be her.

Even if it was her curse seal that drove her to attack Raigetsu their foe still viewed her as the main threat. If her negotiations failed or if she was caught while trying to make a break for Kiri she would have no choice but to plead with her captors to trade her life in exchange for the freedom and lives of her friends, and that was a trade she was willing to accept, especially Akito. He had nothing to do with what happened willingly and the only crimes he was accused of were all directly related to defending her and Takao. She could never allow either of them to die because of what she did, accident or not... she cared about them too much.

On top of Raigetsu and his hunter team there was another threat mounting that she just couldn't ignore; herself. She still couldn't explain what could have ever made her strike out against anyone, but what she did know was that in that moment she was so nervous, so angry that she felt like her actions weren't her own and were instead guided by her anger rather than rational thought.

This wasn't the first time this had happened however as she could clearly remember the same feeling rushing over her when she attacked Raigetsu, as well as earlier in the day when she stepped in defend Akito against the yellow Anbu's threats. She had never before felt such anger and rage, yet it disappeared as quickly as it came and without any kind of warning. Was this Orochimaru's control reaching out and grabbing her? Was he making her do these horrible things? If he were then that only made her decision to leave all that more important.

After seeing the horrible things she was capable of doing while under the curse's influence she could understand why Raigetsu and the others were leery to leave her in a condition in which she could inflict them harm, but if Tsunade was right and this was but the tip of what the curse mark was capable, that meant there was something far more dangerous lurking inside of her; something that she couldn't allow to come out amidst her friends.

It may have started as a slap but how long until it went further than that? How could she be sure that next time she wouldn't break Akito's arms like she had done to one of Kiri's Anbu or freeze the moisture in his arms with one of her most gruesome ninjutsu techniques? She couldn't, and for that reason she needed to go. If she hurt Takao or Akito, regardless of the state she was in, she didn't know how she would live with herself.

But how would she explain and justify all of this to them? There was no way that they would ever consider letting her go on her own and she knew in her heart that wherever she went they would follow no matter what, yet if she didn't go alone they would still be in danger, raising the need for her to slip away from the group without being noticed. Could she do that though? Could she really run away without saying goodbye, knowing full well that she may never see them ever again?

Takao may have been her closest remaining friend, but when it came to the shy yet compassionate boy from Iwagakure the thought of leaving was much harder to swallow. From day one he had always treated her with kindness and respect, even when he received none in return. He could have turned and ran so many times, especially now, but yet he stayed because of her. Without him she wouldn't have ever made it this far, and no matter how hard she tried to rationalize leaving him behind was for his own good she couldn't help but feel her heart breaking into pieces.

Was this the proof that her feelings for the boy were more than just a silly crush? Did she actually love this boy? A month ago she never thought loving someone was in the works for her, let alone a boy from the Hidden Stone… but what else could it be? What else could make her dread living life without him? His smile, his laugh, his compassion; everything about him was something that she now expected to see and hear and experience every day. She had a hard enough time waiting for him to come back from his short trip to Iwa, how could she now leave him forever?

But even if it was true that she held some form of deep feelings for him she knew this was the only way, no matter how hard it was in the end. If she truly cared about him she would do everything she had to do to keep him out of harm's way, even if that meant spending the rest of her life wishing things could be different, and if she never saw him again… at least she knew for certain he would be safe... especially from her. This had to be done.

Waiting until nearly eleven thirty that night to make her move, Kisa slowly emerged from the bed and stood to her feet. She had spent the last few hours carefully listening to her surroundings in an attempt to determine who was still awake and who had gone to bed, and despite the fact that a large, violent thunderstorm had rolled into the valley, it seemed that the coast was finally clear.

Grabbing the backpack she had packed earlier in the evening the girl quickly made her way over to her bedroom door and slowly opened it; her eyes shifting back and forth in the dark hallway in search of any lingering soul. However it seemed that by this time of night that there was awake, causing a sense of relief to wash over her as she made her way towards the living room where only one last obstacle in leaving the house remained; the sleeping boy on the Hokage's couch.

Unlike herself and Takao, Akito had been making use of the Fifth's couch as a temporary bed, meaning that she would need to slip past him in order to escape out to the village below, but what she could see all of the lights in the apartment were off, signifying to her that he too had gone to bed and that she was in the clear.

Carefully walking down the hall to avoid creaking any loose floorboards the girl continued to the living room and began to make her across before stopping dead in her tracks as a lightning strike in the village revealed that Akito was indeed not sleeping and had instead been standing at the window, watching the storm.

Caught off guard by the sudden notice of Akito's presence the girl let out a small gasp, catching the boy's attention and causing him to turn around as Kisa swiftly dropped the backpack in her hands and kicked it out of sight.

"Kisa? Are you okay?" He questioned as his eyes landed on her's in the dark room, prompting her to stare at him for a moment before looking back down at the floor as her mind rapidly formulated a lie.

"I'm okay, I just came out to get a glass of water." She fibbed as Akito slowly formed a small smile and nodded before returning his attention back to the thunderstorm outside. He was still a bit hesitant to ask how she was feeling as he didn't want to cut into the space he was trying his hardest to give her. However upon seeing his conflicted expression in a flash of lightning it was Kisa who spoke up.

"It's late, I'm surprised you're up." The woman questioned as Akito looked towards her.

"I was having a hard time sleeping, so I figured I would stay up and watch the storm for a while." Akito replied, causing Kisa to tilt her head as she walked a bit closer to the boy.

"Is everything alright?" She immediately countered as the boy's eyes lingered on her for a moment before returning to the patio decking.

"I've just got a lot on my mind. That's all." He again replied, instantly bringing Kisa's anxiety to rise. A lot on his mind? Was that because of her?

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, though much to her surprise the boy simply formed a small smile and shook his head.

"I'm okay, Kis. I… don't want to put any more on your shoulders than there already is." He replied as Kisa's cheeks darkened to a slight shade of pink at his use of the shortened form of her name, almost as if it was said with endearment. Was he really speaking to her like that even after she hit him and turned him away? Was he purposely trying to make this hard?

Reaching around and grabbing her left arm with her right as she looked off to the side, the girl slowly walked closer to him and once more bit the inside of her lip. With him awake there was no chance now that she could slip away, but there was an opportunity for her to finally apologize despite the nervous pit in her stomach and the strong desire to avoid the topic entirely. Maybe if she could say she was sorry she wouldn't feel so bad about leaving him… maybe then he wouldn't hate her so much for leaving him behind.

"Akito… I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I don't know what came over me, but I… I never wanted to hurt you." Kisa said softly as she looked away in shame, bringing the boy to look back at her and shake his head as the smile on his face slowly faded down to a slight grin.

"You don't need to apologize to me. It's okay."

Hearing his willingness to brush it off, Kisa simply stared at him for a moment before shaking her head in response.

"It's really not, though. I know you were just trying to help me, but I just… I just snapped. I was feeling so overwhelmed by what was happening that I could barely think. Truth be told, I still kinda feel that way now." She replied as Akito turned towards her, trying to carefully assembly something that was both relevant and comforting but that would not seem patronizing, all while also trying to make sure whatever he said didn't end up making how she felt worse.

"I know it's hard to believe, but things will get better. I promise." He stated as Kisa looked to him with a half-hearted grin.

"I don't see how that is possible. Everything Takao and I have ever worked for is hanging in the balance, as is the fate of everyone I've got left." The girl replied as she came to a stop by his side and locked their eyes together for a brief moment before looking out at the deck as rain continued to pour down.

"I'm… I'm afraid." She added with a heavy sadness as Akito too looked out at the storm.

"Everything will be okay, Kisa… you just can't give up hope." The boy replied, bringing Kisa to look towards him again for a moment, once more connecting their eyes as he recalled his own struggle not to lose hope, though much to his surprise the expression on her face did not soften and instead turned to that of slight annoyance.

"Okay? Akito… I don't think you get it. I know you've been through a lot… but my whole world is falling apart. I…" She began, only to pause briefly as her heart began to beat faster and her hands slowly began to tighten with the anxiety in her chest.

"I've trained to be a kunoichi my whole life. It's what I always wanted to be, ever since I was small. My father… he was so proud of me for following in his footsteps. When he died I nearly gave it all up, but Jun and Takao… they kept me going. They were my friends and I didn't want to let them down."

"Now Jun's gone, and all I've got left is Takao and my grandparents back in Kiri, all of whom are now in danger because of me. If something happens to them, if I can't return to Kiri and continue on as a shinobi… I'll have nothing." She finished, leaving Akito staring into her eyes as the fear in her voice slowly set in and struck deep at his heart. He too knew the pain of having nothing left, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone. He had yet to tell her about his family's fate but… maybe it was time to do so. Maybe she would rest easier knowing things could get better no matter how grim they may seem.

"Kisa, I… I know what it's like to lose everything. My-" Akito began as his vision redirected once again to the deck, though as he spoke Kisa's face quickly degraded to a full blown scowl. Was he really going to pretend to know the same loss and pain as her? Even if it was done as an attempt to make her feel better it was something that she didn't appreciate, and although she had originally hoped that apologizing to him would make her departure easier she couldn't help but feel the anger within her grow, causing her to speak up and interrupt him before he could go any further.

"No, you don't! You just don't! You have no idea how much I've struggled… how much I've suffered!" She scolded in as quiet a tone as she could, causing Akito's eyes to swiftly return to hers, seeing now that she was harboring an angered expression that caused his stomach to twist. She was angry and upset, much more than before.

"Kis-" He attempted to intervene, though before he could even speak Kisa backed up away from him, withdrew both of her hands to the necklace around her neck to seek comfort and averted her eyes away from him before again lashed out again; the seal on her neck beginning to glow unbeknownst to either of them as tears began to slowly form in her eyes and then run down her face.

"I was nine when my father died, Akito! Nine! You may have lost your brother… but I lost the only parent I ever had! My life came crashing down when he died, and now it's happening again! I'm going to lose everyone I love, and you can pretend like you know how that feels, but you will never understand how what that's like… someone like you could never understand!" Kisa cried as lightning crashed down in the village outside once again, illuminating Akito's eyes as he looked down at the ground below and tightened his fists at his side.

Didn't understand? If there was anyone in the world who understood what it was like to lose everything it was him. Did she really think so little of him that she just assumed he would lie in order to connect to her? Didn't she trust him more than that? He knew that she didn't know what happened to his family but that didn't make it any easier, nor did it help suppress the involuntary anger seeping through his psyche. Yet, more than anger he found himself hurt; hurt that she assumed he was just trying to make her feel better by pretending he understood her pain… like he hadn't lost every single person he had ever loved.

Gnashing his teeth together to contain what his mind was beckoning him to say, Akito spoke up; his eyes purposely remaining fixated away from Kisa's as he did so.

"You're right. I don't understand. A person like me… a monster… I could never understand." He replied rather quietly, causing Kisa's eyes to return to him with a hint of surprise. She expected him to be mad at what she was saying, but it was clear by his voice that he was more somber than anything , and with his mention of being a monster her eyes swiftly softened as the reality of what she had said set in. She hadn't called him a monster since Getaru City… he remembered that?

"Akito-" She immediately said in an attempt to apologize though as she did so the boy's eyes shot up to hers, revealing the hurt and anger she had caused for but a moment before he grabbed the handle to the sliding door, threw it open and disappeared out into the storm, leaving her standing with her hands on her heart as her chest tightened. What had she done? How could she say those things to him? Even if she didn't believe their pain was the same he was just trying to make her feel better… how could she be so cruel?!

Following him out onto the deck in the pouring rain the girl quickly scanned around the rooftops for any sign of him, though after a second or two she stopped and bit her lip; her remaining tears mixing with the rain as she quickly became drenched to her core. She did it again. She lost control of her emotions and hurt someone she cared about. What was wrong with her?! Why did she keep hurting him?!

This was why she needed to go. Going into their conversation she had no doubts as to what had to be done, but when he spoke her name in the manner he had that hesitation returned… but if she stayed she knew she would only continue to hurt him. She couldn't allow that to happen. She had to disappear… now.

Forgetting about her backpack the girl pulled her hood up onto her head and jumped onto the deck's railing before moving on to the closest rooftop, destined for Konoha's east gate. The storm around them was only getting worse and if everything went as planned, she should have no problem slipping out of the village and into the woods where, if luck was on her side, she would remain undetected until she made her way to Kiri. This was her only chance to set this right. This had to work.

Making her way across town Kisa eventually came to the east gate which remained open despite being nearly midnight, though she knew better than to assume that it was left unguarded. Being extra careful to avoid any of the Konoha sentries keeping an eye on the gate she quickly made her way up and over the wall to the forest on the other side, though she didn't stop to take a breath until she came across the apartment where Akito had stayed as a child.

Slowing her run to a stop in the middle of the road Kisa looked up at the three story inn with a hint of sadness, forcing her to look back at the gate she had just climbed; it's tall stone frame barely visible at this distance when coupled with the pouring rain and darkness. Was this the right decision? Would she be able to survive without her friends? Without Akito? Would this save them from what was to come or would it just separate them in their end?

"I'm so sorry… please forgive me." She said softly as she subconsciously grabbed ahold of Akito's necklace, causing her eyes to widen. Should she have given it back before she left? He gave it to her to remind her that she would never be alone, that he would always be there for her… but now she was breaking that promise.

Turning her eyes back to the Hidden Leaf from the necklace in her hands Kisa took a step towards town, only to freeze as between her and the gates four cloaked shinobi suddenly appeared in a line, cutting her off from Konoha. With a shocked, fearful gasp the girl immediately spun around to run, though as she did so five more ninja appeared, the center-most of which being the one man she hoped she wouldn't encounter.

"N-No." She muttered as she took a step back away from the man who, seeing her fear and terrified expression, formed a small grin on his face.

"I knew you would show up if I just waited long enough." Raigetsu stated as he began to move towards her, causing her anxiety to grow exponentially with each step. She couldn't let this end here, for if she did it wouldn't change anything… she had to do something!

Coming to a stop on a knee back at Tsunade's deck a short while later Akito's eyes remained locked to the flooring below. He had been gone for a little over twenty minutes now and during that time he had calmed down quite a bit, though Kisa's words remained trapped inside of his head. She didn't know about what had happened to his family, but that didn't make it any easier… especially since she now thought he was playing her. Everything was going so well and now it was all a mess. What would he say to her in the morning? Would anything ever return to how it was the night before or even this morning, or was it all over now?

But even if he was upset he couldn't stay away for long as no matter how mad or hurt he was. I promised Tsunade he could care for and support her no matter what, and looking back he knew that leaving her alone was a mistake. Standing back up his feet the boy slowly began to walk back towards the apartment door, but as his eyes finally raised to the glass to reach for the handle he was surprised to see that the door was just how he left it, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

She left the door wide open? That wasn't something she would normally do, especially if she was going back to sleep. Did that mean that she was still awake, and if so, was she waiting for him to return? When he last saw her she seem furious with him… did she even want to speak to him at all?

Swallowing nervously, the boy proceeded inside the apartment and looked around, though upon finding no one he grew a bit more nervous, causing him to immediately head down the hallway where the apartment's bedrooms were located in search of the girl.

"Kisa?" He questioned softly as he rounded the corner and spotted her open bedroom door which despite his best judgment enticed him to walked towards it and look inside.

"Kisa… are you awake?" He questioned again as he came to the door frame and cautiously looked inside, though at the discovery that she was not in this room either the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Where could she be? Was everything alright? Did she step out to get some air or something?

It was at this moment as he headed back towards the living room to look for her again that his eyes took notice to something peculiar; a backpack thrown hastily to the side of the hallway, hidden from the angle of the glass door by one of the large couches. With a staggered breath Akito quickly rushed forward and picked the backpack up, almost instantly causing his heart to drop into his stomach. This was Kisa's backpack, fully loaded with her things. He had thought he had heard something drop to the floor when she appeared out of her bedroom a half hour ago, but when she began to speak he completely forgot about it. Did she… did she plan to run away? Where was she now?!

His eyes growing wide with panic, the boy dropped the backpack to the floor and rushed back out into the storm, spinning around in a hectic search for any sign of the girl with the hope that she may have just stepped out for some air.

"Kisa!" He called out into the pouring rain, though after a few seconds of calling out for her it became clear that she was not there; she was gone. She was safe here in Konoha, why would she run? Was she that made at him or… or did someone take her?! No, Raigetsu couldn't have come into the village… could he? Would he dare do something so bold?

Gnashing his teeth together as he jumped up onto the deck's railing, Akito took one last look around before jumping onto the nearest rooftop to the apartment and taking off into the village in a frantic search to find her. Regardless of whether or not her disappearance was voluntary she was in danger, and he needed to find her before Raigetsu did!


	17. Chapter 17: The Curse

Rushing through Konoha's streets as he frantically continued to search for Kisa, Akito's mind was in overdrive. He hadn't spotted her anywhere yet despite having been searching all across the village for nearly twenty minutes, causing the fear that she was in trouble to grow without limitation. Why did he leave her alone? Why couldn't he had just bit his tongue and swallowed the emotions brought on her by her outburst? If he would have done so he could have stopped all of this from even happening!

By now he had hoped he would have found the girl himself to avoid getting her in trouble with the Hokage, but without success he was forced to send word of her disappearance to the others back at Tsunade's apartment by shadow clone as he began to backtrack their journey the night before in the hope that she may have chosen to hide somewhere she had been. He had already been to Ichiraku Ramen, the academy and to Hokage Rock, leaving but one place; the inn where he lived when he was a student there.

The inn itself wasn't a place he assumed she would go to hide, but given the circumstances he believed it was his best bet to at least finding her trail. The inn was just outside of the village's east-most gate, placing it along the easiest possible path to take in order to head towards Kiri, and given the fact that their original plan was to somehow negotiate with the Mizukage in order to explain their innocence he couldn't help but feel like if she was going to run that this would be where to.

He had to be right and he had to be fast. With each passing moment he could feel the severity of the situation growing stronger, and if she were in fact heading east towards the Land of Water he had no doubt that she would run right into Raigetsu and his men, and that if she did he would not allow her to escape again.

Jumping over a late-night merchant convoy as it passed through the gate Akito grabbed hold of the top of the frame and swung himself out to the roadway before dashing as fast as he could towards the inn which, in the heavy downpour, was barely visible in the far off distance. In a hurry the boy quickly made his way to his former home, though as he slid to a stop in the mud just shy of the main office entrance it became clear that there had been a fight there not long before he arrived, as evident by several sets of distorted tracks in the mud as well as several handfuls of expended weapons, including what appeared to be shards of ice.

Leaning down and retrieving one of the senbon-shaped pieces from the ground Akito grunted. There was no longer any doubt if Raigetsu and his men were involved in Kisa's disappearance in some way, but regardless of their role he now knew that she was in danger; the tracks leading deeper into the woods off the beaten path. He needed to find her, now!

Lifting his head up to follow the tracks the boy took several steps forward past the inn before being forced to dash backwards to avoid a sudden burst of electricity from the trees above him, bringing him to gasp as the bolt discharged into the brick wall of the inn beside him.

"Ngg!" He groaned as he slid to a stop where he stood moments before and looked up, catching a glimpse of his attackers as two people emerged from their position overhead and stood in front of him; their Kiri Anbu masks barely visible underneath their raingear.

"Raigetsu was right, he did come looking." A male's voice stated aloud as the second figure laughed; both voices belonging to what Akito knew was the yellow and blue-masked Anbu he had encountered on two separate instances now.

"Of course he did. With the way he was holding her hand during that meeting, I'm surprised he wasn't with her earlier." The girl in the yellow mask taunted in reply as Akito scowled.

"You fucking bastards… what did you do to her?!" He exclaimed as he clenched gnashed his teeth together, bringing the man to laugh at his less than frightening demeanor. Based on his lack of his clan jacket and flak vest it seemed he was caught off guard by the girl's disappearance, meaning the element of surprise was on their side despite what appeared to be a full clay reservoir at the small of his back.

"We didn't do anything, really. The girl abandoned you and Takao and ran away. We simply found her out here. Just like you." He replied as the kunoichi beside him drew her sword from its sheath and prepared to attack him.

"We take him together. No fooling around this time, go right for his throat. With him gone we will only have to find Takao." She instructed, causing Akito to grow angrier as his eyes darted between the two of them and then to the ground.

They were waiting for her to leave the village? If that was true then she really did leave willingly, but why? Why would she leave the one place that was keeping her safe? Even if she did run away he had no choice but to intervene and help her out regardless of what she intended to do. She could be as mad at him as she wanted; he wasn't going to let her die out there.

Taking a deep breath as he listened to the man in the blue mask agree to the kunoichi's plan, Akito unzipped the palms of his gloves and prepared himself for yet another fight against his Kiri adversaries. They already knew many of his secrets and tricks save for those involving his kinjutsu, leaving him little choice but to not hold back; they had no hesitation about killing him so he couldn't either.

His eyes returning back to the two shinobi as they charged the boy stood completely still, allowing both of them to sink their swords into his flesh, though the second they did so both Anbu dashed away from his now white body to avoid being injured by the explosion that ensued.

"He must have gotten more clay! I told you we should have killed him when we saw him on his way back to Iwa!" The kunoichi exclaimed as both of them pressed their feet to the wall of the inn and watched the boy reappear on the road below and looked straight up at them a murderous scowl.

"It would have certainly been easier to do so, but then we wouldn't have known for sure where the other two were." The blue-mask added, causing Akito's eyes to narrow in disgust. They followed him back to Iwa and then used him to find Kisa and Takao?

Grinding his teeth Akito quickly formed hand signs and clapped his hands together, causing two large pillars of stone to emerge from behind him and slam into the Inn as the two Anbu jumped up into the air to avoid them, both of whom then descended on top of the boy and unleashed a slew of thrown hand weapons down upon him.

Somersaulting backwards several times to avoid their attack before coming to a stop with his feet planted against a tree the boy immediately darted back towards them in a flicker, attempting to catch them off guard with his kekkei genkai with a rough bout of taijutsu, though with how familiar they were with the boy's Explosive Release they made sure to avoid each of his blows like their lives depended on it.

"Too slow!" The kunoichi taunted as she swung her blade towards Akito's neck again, prompting him to parry the blade to the side and elbow her in the throat, knowing her back and exposing her partner to his fist. Striking the man's mask the boy unleashed his kekkei genkai, blowing the man to pieces that rapidly dissolved into water as his body was replaced with a water clone.

Knowing a followup attack was coming Akito quickly sunk into the ground and grabbed ahold of the man's ankles, dragging him into the dirt with him before shooting him back out head over heels into a tree. Wasting no time Akito then emerged from the ground as well and dashed towards him to no avail as his partner again forced Akito on the defensive.

Striking him in the stomach with her knee following a slew of parried strikes between the two of them the woman grabbed hold of the boy's hair and attempted to run him through with her sword as he recoiled backwards, but before she could deliver the blow Akito again replaced himself with a clone that rapidly spread overtop of her and began to bog her down with explosive clay.

"Kanesuke!" She exclaimed in an urgent voice, bringing her partner to slide to a stop and place his hands on the clay before discharging an aurora of electricity from his palms; instantly deactivating the clay and causing it to fall apart and crumble to the ground as Akito reappeared on the street and launched a slew of shuriken at the two.

"Figuring out how to deactivate my explosive clay isn't going to save you!" He stated as he dashed forward towards them behind his iron stars and once more began to engage them in hand to hand combat, trying his best to score a critical hit on either of them in an attempt to rush the fight's progression along and get back on the road to Kisa, though neither of them intended to go down without a fight.

"No, but it sure makes dealing with your little tricks a lot easier!" Kanesuke replied while charging his blade with chakra and swiping it back and forth towards Akito's head as the boy dodged.

"Hold still!" He exclaimed as he slashed downward to bisect his Stone adversary, though he could do little but gasp as Akito thrust his head to the side, placed both hands to his stomach and blasted him back with a duel Exploding Palm release, smashing him into the inn's front wall with such force that the masonry around him cracked and collapsed on top of him, trapping him beneath the rubble.

Letting out her own gasp in shock at the boy's speed and reaction time, the kunoichi quickly formed a series of hand signs and inhaled sharply before exhaling a sharp burst of water that slammed into the boy and sent him flying backwards into a tree with enough force to crack it's trunk.

"Gack!" He cried out as he impacted the wood, fell to the ground below and rolled to a stop as he formed a stone wall to protect himself from the slew of ranged weapons being thrown his way. He then quickly plunged both of his hands into his clay reserve, pulled out several clay balls and bit into them to link his chakra to that stored in the clay before tossing them against the base of the stone wall in front of him; planning to unleash a new technique he had thought up after his encounter with rogue cousin weeks before.

Forming a single sign, Akito activated the clay and formed it into large, sharp spikes that pierced forward through the stone towards his adversary just as Deidara had done to him, though he was rather surprised when the woman jumped onto one of the spikes and up over the resulting explosion before dropping down onto him with her sword.

"Nothing but a childish trick!" She taunted in reference to his attack as he avoided her blade and attempted to slash her with his kunai, only to be punched in the nose and forced backwards as blood began to run down his face and throat. Coughing as he fought back a gag, the boy grabbed the woman's arm and jumped over it before twisting it around, lifting her over his shoulder and slamming her into the ground, though she disappeared into a splash of water and immediately reappeared between him and her downed comrade while forming the hand signs necessary to formulate the Great Waterfall technique.

Watching her draw a large breath and knowing her to be a water type the boy quickly formed his own heavy-hitting release and inhaled sharply before exhaling a massive fireball that upon colliding with the Kunoichi's water neutralized the attack, creating a thick, concealing fog to form despite his attack's obvious weakness to water.

Impressed by his ability to overtake an attack with one of an opposite nature the Anbu immediately drew her sword and prepared for his counter attack, which came a second later in the form of a second round of clay spikes that she once again jumped to avoid before somersaulting backwards to a stop.

However before she could mock the boy again for the use of a failed attack so quickly after the first attempt he appeared from the fog and charged forward towards her and reared his fist back to strike, prompting her to bisect him down the middle while dashing forward to avoid what she assumed would be a clay explosion. As she expected the man she had cut in two was in fact a clone, but what she hadn't seen coming was the emergence of several more of them from mist.

In annoyance the woman quickly jumped back from the onslaught of Akito's rushing towards her, avoiding the first two clones and killing them with her sword before falling victim to the third as the boy exploded prematurely, blowing her mask from her face as she staggered backwards.

"What?!" She snarled as she attempted to disable the fourth clone approaching her only to face the same result, again and again in rapid succession until she finally encountered the real Akito behind her, emerging from the ground at her feet. Gasping as she spun her sword down at the boy she quickly found her attempt useless as he jabbed his kunai into her forearm, grabbed her wrist and slammed into her, tackling her to the ground face first.

Crying out in pain as Akito knelt on her back to pin her to the ground the girl tried desperately to unleash one last sharp burst of water from her mouth, but Akito quickly pressed her face into the mud with his free hand as he forced the full weight of his body into her back, holding her in place.

"Don't move, I'll break your arm!" He ordered as he continued to twist her arm, causing her to yelp as she looked back at him with her deep hazel eyes that were partially hidden by her now disheveled brown hair and a stern, committed glare, though she was at least partially afraid of what he might do regardless of her hard attitude. She wasn't much older than he was, maybe in her mid to late twenties, so her place on an Anbu squad such as this must have been well earned.

"Go ahead… b-break it then, Iwa scum!" She snarled as she again attempted to break free of his hold, only to be pushed back down.

"Where's Kisa?!" Akito replied as he began to pull on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain again before looking up at the sight of a sudden flash and focusing his eyes on Kanesuke, who had freed himself from under the masonry and like her now stood maskless with a defined expression of anger on his features. He too was roughly his age and from the concern on his face it was clear that he held some sort of friendship with the girl, if not more.

"Maki!" He snarled as balanced his sword in front of him, causing Akito to again palm the back of the girl's head and push her face against the ground as he too showed his teeth in frustration, gripping her head tight enough to cause her discomfort.

"Tell me where Kisa is or I will blow her fucking head off!" He demanded as the woman beneath him grunted out a shaky quiver.

"D-Don't Kanesuke, Raigetsu will kill you!" Maki warned as she again tried to break free of Akito's grasp, forcing the boy to dig his fingers harder into her hair to maintain control.

"Don't worry about me, k-kill him and finish the mission!" She added after her failed attempt to escape, bringing Akito's eyes to drop down to her at the sound of fear and determination in her voice. Anbu were known for their determination to the mission above all else, including the lives of their comrades; something he could never, ever do.

"Just tell me where she is! I don't want to do this… but I will if I have to!" Akito yelled as he looked back to Kanesuke and locked eyes with the boy while shaking his head. For a moment it seemed that Kanesuke felt the same since instead of immediately doing as she asked he continued to stare at her with a conflicted, pained look. But after a few seconds his sword once again began to spark with lightning chakra as he let out an angered scream and dashed forwards towards the boy, bringing Maki to close her eyes in anticipation of death and Akito to grunt under his breath. He was really willing to let her die like this?!

Infuriated by their defiance and continued interference with his rescue plan but still unwilling to kill the woman, Akito stood up and let go of Maki's head to charge towards Kanesuke, offering her a brief second of relief that she would not be killed before being knocked unconscious by a swift kick to the head moments later. The boy then dashed forward towards his remaining foe, locked his kunai to the man's sword to block his slash and pushed him back before slamming his fist into the ground, causing a disruptive explosion that knocked both men back away from one another.

Extracting another wad of clay from his pouch Akito quickly infused his chakra into the doughy substance, formed it into a ball and made a few hand signs before cutting loose from his left palm and tossing it towards his rapidly approaching foe. Seeing the explosive the man swung his electrically charged sword back around to bisect and deactivate it, though just as he had done to Maki the boy detonated the charge early, bathing his target in a massive ball of fire.

Caught off guard and in grave danger of burning to death the Kiri Anbu immediately expelled an ample amount of water from his mouth and quickly formed a bubble around himself before unleashing it on the boy in the form a large, jagged-toothed worm that shot forth through the fire and latched it's jaws onto Akito's arm, though his body turned white and exploded a second later.

Once more reappearing close to his enemy and in desperate need of an end to this fight, Akito charged headfirst towards his enemy and ducked under his sword before striking at the man with his fists; each attack being cautiously parried away and leading to Kanesuke launching his own attack as he grabbed the boy's arm and forced his positively charged chakra into him.

Letting out a sharp grunt Akito quickly disoriented the man with a headbutt, jumped forward onto one arm and kicked the man as hard as he could with both feet, causing him to stagger. He then jumped back onto his feet, placed both hands on his foe and used duel exploding palm releases, once again sending the man flying backwards into the inn, albeit with less success as instead of slamming into the hard surface Kanesuke instead planted his feet to the wall and shot back at the boy with his weapon at the ready.

"I'll cut your fucking head off!" He exclaimed as he neared the boy and again slashed at him with his sword, this time matching blade to blade and filling the rainy night with sparks as each of the men desperately tried to get the upper hand; each slashing and carving each other's flesh several times, though each wound proved to be minor and neither of them seemed willing to back down or run.

"Hold still!" Kanesuke again screamed as Akito dove up and over him while summoning multiples of himself in an attempt to swarm the man, prompting him to lift his right hand in the air and charge it full of electricity before unleashing it on himself to dispel Akito's clones. However, while many of the clones did deactivate and disappear several of them did not, forcing a grunt to escape Kanesuke's mouth as one of them struck him in the face and then in the gut before being beheaded and disappearing into a puff of smoke.

With a grunt the Anbu then quickly pushed himself away from the remaining four Akitos and again readied his sword. It seemed that the boy had created a mix of clay and shadow clones, that latter of which were not as easily disabled by electricity and were far more dangerous. He needed to even the odds and kill the real boy quickly.

Taking a deep breath as the four Iwa ninja dashed towards him again, Kanesuke spun his blade around in a circular, disorienting fashion before unleashing a series of almost instantaneous attacks against his foes, cutting them down and catching the real Akito off guard as the blade slashed through his shirt at his abdomen, nearly causing him to receive a fatal injury.

With a grunt Akito quickly knocked his blade away to prevent him from striking at him again and punched him as hard as he could in the stomach, causing him to stager. He then jumped above his target and lifted his other fist, smashed it into the man's chest and partially activated his kekkei genkai, blowing him to the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him and crack the stone walkway below.

Gasping for air the blonde-haired Anbu's eyes quickly shifted to his adversary as the enraged boy dove on top of him and rapidly struck at him with his fists, though he refrained from using his kekkei genkai any further. He had originally planned to kill both of these two but something was keeping him from doing so, as if he couldn't bring himself to end their lives after seeing their exchange moments before.

"Where's Kisa?!" The boy again questioned through his teeth as he struck the man's face with his right hand and prepared the left to do the same, pausing briefly as the man laughed through bloody teeth.

"F-Fuck you!" He snarled, bringing Akito to smash him in the side of his head with the attack he had held back previously, but this what what Kanesuke wanted, and as the boy reared his fist back to attack again he quickly lifted his whole head up and smashed Akito as hard as he could, instantly busting his forehead just above his hairline and causing him to recoil backwards as blood began to rush down his face.

Kanesuke then seized this opportunity to free his right hand and draw a kunai from his pouch, which he wasted no time charging with his chakra and piercing into Akito's lower left abdomen, tearing through his flesh and causing the boy to cry out in pain. Acting quickly Akito grabbed the blade to prevent it from going any deeper with his left hand and lifted his right above him before striking Kanesuke in the face dead on, instantly breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious as his head struck back against the stone road below him.

Running on adrenaline and still stunned by his injury, Akito stared at his unresponsive foe for a second before pulling the blade out of his side with a sharp yelp of pain. He then checked it briefly for signs of poison and threw it to the side as he stood up off of Kanesuke, took a few steps back and collapsed to his knees.

"S-Shit." He whispered to himself through his teeth as he looked down at the blood running from his side, which dripped down from his hand into a puddle below with both the rain and the trails running from his nose and now busted forehead. He may have been hesitant to kill the two but they certainly were not apprehensive about killing him, leading him to be seriously injured.

But he couldn't stop to heal his wounds now, nor could he give up. When they first ran into Raigetsu had six others with him, and that was before he knew about Kisa's curse. If he really was determined to bring her down he would certainly have brought more, and if they were all like these two there was no telling how much danger she was in. He had to help her!

Forcing himself back up onto his feet as he formed the same life saving clay expansion foam that he had used on Kisa the boy quickly looked around him for any further sign of his friend or her captors. With how hard the rain had been falling it was likely that footprints in the mud were quickly being ruined and distorted, making it all the more important that he picked up on their trail quickly.

Gnashing his teeth to combat the pain of his medical ninjutsu's application as his eyes locked to a senbon-riddled tree off to the side of the road, the boy jumped up onto the closest oak to him and made his way to the tree in question before coming to a stop one one of its branches and falling to a knee; each breath pressing the inflamed, lacerated organs in his wound against the clay holding him together. From here he could see that there was a clear trail of destruction leading further away from the road into the forest, bringing him to immediately set off in that direction with little hesitation. She had to be there somewhere, he just hoped he wasn't too late.

Following the trail for nearly two miles Akito was quickly tiring out. Although his wound had been plugged he was still losing blood and after nearly twenty minutes he had yet to come across anything besides broken trees, discarded weapons and chunks of melting ice; all which had suddenly disappeared as he came to a large, foggy field in the center of the woods, causing his mind to panic as the fear that Kisa might already be gone began to set in.

From what he could tell the trail their fight had left ended at the start of the clearing and from here it seemed like they could have gone anywhere, as from what he could see there was no tracks left in the large, grassy plane for him to follow, resulting in him frantically looking around in each directing as he began to walk straight ahead of him towards the other side of the shrouded clearing.

"Kisa!" He called out as he began trudging through the calf-deep grass and thick, misty downpour while grabbing at his wounded abdomen and panting heavily. If she was gone, if they took her, what would he do? In this shape he couldn't keep up this chase much longer and if he stopped it seemed highly unlikely he would ever be able to find her again, at least alive. Was she still even alive the way it was, or had they killed her? Was he going to just wander across her discarded body? No! No, he had to believe she was alive; that she was just out there somewhere for him to find! She had to be!

"Kisa!" The boy cried again after a few minutes as his run slowly decreased in strength to a weak jog as his energy faded, but as he looked around him once again and his eyes focused on a body in the grass off in the distance with a large, pointed object sticking from their chest, his heart sank.

"No… no!" He said to himself as he began to cautiously walk towards the body in the rapidly disappearing mist, though as he closed in on the corpse it became clear that it was not Kisa but one of the Anbu that must have been sent against her; his body riddled with several ice spikes as well as one large central one that had pierced into his chest, destroying his heart. Atop of this both of the man's arms had been shredded beyond repair, as if his blood had frozen and caused his flesh to explode.

Backing away from the mutilated corpse in front of him, Akito himself froze. He had never seen such brutality from the use of Kisa's kekkei genkai before and there was no doubt in his mind that this had been her who did this. Did something happen to her? Did her curse mark activate again? Even so this behavior wasn't normal… had it progressed past what it had before? Had Orochimaru managed to take control of her completely this time?

Looking around himself once more, Akito again took notice of something in the distance as the fog around him began to break up completely; a large ice dome at the center of the field, around which was dozens of large ice spikes that seemed to have emerged from the icy fortress's core and that had been stained red by the blood running from at least three more of Anbu that had been killed on them.

"Oh no." He whispered as he again began to hesitantly make his way towards his discovery, though this time it was with extreme caution and fear as the closer he came to what he knew was Kisa's location the more bloodshed and carnage he could see. Whatever she had done had caught at least six of the Anbu off guard in her trap, slaughtering them and tearing them to shreds that now littered the landscape and caused Akito's already weakened stomach to turn. How could this have happened? How could she have been capable of this?!

Climbing overtop of one of the rows of spikes Akito cautiously slid down the slope on the other side towards what appeared to be a break in the large ice dome's defenses, hoping that this would be his way inside. Unlike the ice domes he had witnessed her form before he could not see through this one due to its crystalline composition being too thick and smeared with blood, creating a sense of dread as to what he would find once inside. She may have taken out several of them, but did that mean she was still alive?

"Kis?" He called softly as he rounded the corner towards the opening in the ice wall, only to instantly be greeted by the sight of yet another body, but after a quick inspection it appeared that this body was none other than Raigetsu's himself. From what he could tell the breach in her dome had been smashed open and it appeared that he had been the one to do it, but it also seemed that he had been struck down in the process; his body thrown back into a sitting position against a wall of ice by a large ice spear that had pierced through his lower abdomen and remained lodged there.

Given the mortifying scene he had crawled through to make it this far it appeared that the man had gotten off lucky, but even though he could not see his face due to his low hanging head and now drenched hair it seemed likely that he had bled to death where he sat, as evidenced by the fact that his gloved hand, which appeared to have been a vessel for him to liquify what remained of his arm into a pseudo-hand, now lay without form.

Carefully approaching and stepping over the man's body Akito continued up to the breach in the dome before pausing as the sound of what appeared to be sobbing radiating from the icy fortress, causing his heart to take a leap as his eyes widened. There was no mistaking the sound of Kisa's voice and even though she was crying he couldn't help but involuntarily form a small grin across his lips at the knowledge that she was alive.

"Kisa!" He exclaimed as he resumed his progression into the dome, though as he rounded the corner and laid eyes on on the battered, sobbing girl he had been searching for kneeling in the center of the room, he again froze; her appearance so changed that if it hadn't been for her voice he would have a hard time believing it was truly her.

For whatever reason her hair had turned to a light grey color with streaks of her original frost and had surpassed its former length at her shoulders, as well as become rather unruly while from the top of the forehead protrude two seemingly crystalline ridges that ran up over her head, parting her hair to the sides. On top of this it also appeared that her skin had darkened to the same dark shade of grey as Daiju and the rest of the men in Orochimaru's compound, reassuring him that whatever had happened was indeed the result of the Sannin's taint.

"Kis." Akito whispered in shock, finally catching the girl's attention as her cry abruptly came to an end with an audible gasp and her head head lifted up from her hands and turned over her shoulder towards him; her piercing blue orbs locking to his instantly, now standing brighter than ever when surrounded by her now dark grey sclera.

"A-Akito?" She questioned out loud in shock as her eyes grew wide and her mouth lingered opened, revealing her now overly-pointed canine teeth that mimicked those of a shark or other carnivorous creature and bringing Akito to take a step towards her.

"K-Kisa, what-" He began to question, though as he did so the girl suddenly turned towards him and held her hand up to stop him in his tracks.

"S-Stay back! I'm… I'm a monster!" She exclaimed, her eyes grew narrow and tears began to roll from them once again as she let out a sharp sob and grabbed the necklace around her neck. He could tell that she was injured too, with what appeared to be multiple lacerations across her body as well as bruises that were made clear by the now absent left sleeve of her hoodie, leaving only her tank top to over her dark skin and giving view to the necklace still laying across her chest.

"You're not a monster Kisa, don't say that." The boy replied in an effort to calm her as he again took a step closer, causing her to grind her teeth together harshly.

"Yes I am! I killed all of them and I'll… I'll kill you too!" Kisa added as she rocked back and forth on her knees in a self-soothing manner before lifting her eyes back up to Akito's injuries which she could now see were quite severe, especially the one in his stomach.

Gasping under her breath at the sight Kisa instinctively reached out to touch his wound despite the fact that he was out of arm's reach before withdrawing her hand and gnashing her teeth as her emotion rapidly shifted from sorrow to anger.

"T-The two that broke off from the group, they did this to you?! I'll… I'll-" She began to threaten with pure hatred as the ice around them expanded and formed into sharp spikes.

"Hey, listen! Hey. It doesn't matter what they did to me... all that matters is that I found you, and that you are alright." He pleaded with her as he slowly knelt down on both knees in front of her and moved closer, forcing her to cry out again.

"I-I said stay back Akito! Leave me here!" She screamed, though in direct defiance Akito did the opposite of her command and came within arms reach of her before stopping and locking his eyes to hers as they became caught in one another's gaze.

"I'm not going to leave you alone. Not like this… not ever." The boy replied as he bit the inside of his lip, pulled the glove from his right hand and slowly reached out towards her, once more causing the girl's breath to tremble as her eyes grew wide. Not only was he trying to take her hand in his, he had also removed the glove he had always worn to hide himself from the world. Was this done as a sign of trust between them? Did he no longer care what she thought of his hands?

How could this be? She expected him to never speak to her again, yet even after everything she had said and done he still came after her and now seemed to be trying his best to assure her that everything was going to be fine. Why did he care so much about her, even now when his life was in danger just by being near her? How could he continue to make promises to someone who would only continue to hurt him?

Sniffling to try and hold back her tears Kisa shifted her vision back up to his soft brown eyes that equally portrayed both his pain and his worry, as well as the compassion he held in his heart towards her. Ever since she first met the boy she had known he was different, but was this why? Would he really be there with her forever, no matter what? Was that the meaning of their connection? Was this really love?

Fighting the anxiety, fear and shame that had been the forefront of her emotions for the past two hours, Kisa slowly matched Akito's actions and with a bite of her own lip began to reach out towards him with her hand; her fingers outstretched towards his without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Akito." She whispered softly as their hands neared one, but just before their fingers could touch a quiet crunching sound at the breach in the dome brought both of their attentions back towards the entrance as Raigetsu stepped inside; his remaining hand holding on tightly to the now open wound in his stomach as blood dripped onto the ground below from between his fingers.

"Y-You… look w-what you've done! You've k-killed everyone!" He snarled as he stepped into the dome's inner circle, shifting his vision between the two lovers before him in anger. He was the last of his team alive and with this wound it seemed highly unlikely he would survive, especially since they were so far away from Kiri and allowing himself to be captured by Konoha in order to live was out of the question. But yet he was certainly going to allow Kisa and the boy from Iwagakure to get away with what they had done, prompting him to let go of his wound to abandon blood-loss control in favor of one last attack.

"I'll put an end to this once and for all!" He exclaimed while drawing his sword from its sheath and forming a single hand sign with his fingers, turning himself into an entirely liquid form as he dashed straight towards Kisa with murderous intent, bringing Akito to gasp as he moved to intercept him.

Crying out in anger out as he stood to his feet and attempted to strike the viscous form, Akito watched in horror as Raigetsu simply shifted around and reappeared between him and the kneeling girl with his sword lifted in the air to strike.

Spinning around to counter their assailant, Akito watched as Kisa's shocked expression rapidly shifted to fear and anger, bringing a large ice dome to form from the ground at her feet that quickly covered over her as she closed her eyes and covered her head to protect herself. Sealing at the top, the dome then immediately created large ice spikes similar to those outside all around it, though it did not deter Raigetsu from swinging his blade down on top of her in an effort to break through.

"NO!" Akito screamed as Raigetsu's sword came into contact with the ice, causing Kisa to let out a blood curdling scream as her dome suddenly exploded into a massive barrage of large ice spears that flew in each direction, impacting both men and blowing them back out through the main citadel as the whole thing came crashing down around Kisa's shield, filling the whole area with debris and exposing the dark night sky above as an eerie, rain-laden silence crept over the field.

Several minutes later Kisa's personal dome slowly began to crumble and fall to the ground amidst the remains of her fortress as her eyes finally opened; her mind foggy and the events leading up to the citadel's destruction a blur, leading her to stand as she began to look around for any clue that might recall her memory before looking down at her cursed hands.

She could remember the fight against the Anbu as well as Akito's appearance, the thought of which caused her heart to flutter as his words played back in her mind, but as Raigetsu appeared her flustered feeling quickly faded away and was replaced with fear.

"O-Oh no..." She whispered quietly as she stepped out of what remained of her protective shell and frantically ran forward a bit towards the direction the two of them had been standing, desperately trying to spot the boy who came back for her.

"Akito?" The girl called out as she climbed over a large piece of the dome that remained intact despite having fallen to the ground, only to grunt in shock as she came across Raigetsu beneath the rubble; his body bisected mid-abdomen by the large sheet of razor sharp ice while the rest of him lay torn to shreds by what appeared to be the freezing of his liquified body. He must have tried to escape the attack but when he came in contact with her ice he froze, leading to much of his body being smashed to pieces before returning to its normal state; a gruesome sight that only served to cause Kisa's anxiety to skyrocket. If this was what had been done to Raigetsu, what became of Akito? The two of them were standing next to each other when her attack unleashed itself, where was he?!

"Akito?!" She questioned again as she quickly began to scour the area around Raigetsu's corpse for any sign of the boy, going as far as to flip over a few pieces of debris before spotting him off in the distance sitting against the stump of what was once a large tree that now lay on it's side. He wasn't answering her calls nor did it seem as if he was moving, forcing her heart to break as tears once again ran down her face.

In fear of what may have become of the boy she cared so deeply about Kisa quickly dashed towards him, only to let out a heart-wrenching gasp as she came to a stop at the boy's feet; he too having fallen victim to her involuntary defense.

In horror Kisa collapsed to her knees in front of him and shook her head, unwilling to believe the reality she had snapped into from her trance. His body was covered in lacerations from the razor sharp ice that he had been blown through while his left arm and previously injured abdomen had been pierced by two of the spikes; the latter of which had pinned him through his back to the stump while his arm only remained connected to his body by the several strands of muscle surrounding her ice.

His eyes differed from this violence however as despite the fact that his face was covered in blood he held this painless, calm expression that mimicked that of a dead person. But that couldn't be! He promised not to leave her alone and he couldn't break that promise! He had to still be there with her!

"No, no… Akito… p-please no." She whispered in disbelief as she reached forward and cupped his cheek with her left hand while her right she hesitantly placed on his neck, allowing a green orb to form around her hand that, much to her relief, weakly flashed with the strike of his pulse, signaling that he was still alive and bringing back some hope that she might still be able to save him. She need to act fast.

Wasting no time she took a sharp breath to quell her cries and moved atop his lap, grabbed ahold of the ice shard stuck in his stomach and quickly retracted it before placed both hands on his stomach and forcing as much of her medically-active chakra into his wound as she could; all while her eyes remained locked to his face.

"J-Just hold on!" Kisa cried out as she desperately tried to heal his wounds and stop his rapid blood loss while also trying to suppress the feelings of dread and grief overcoming her. Could she save him? How would she go on if she couldn't? Could she survive knowing that she had killed the one person she had ever dared to feel love for?

When she planned to run away the thought that she would be separated from him was hard, but at least there was always a chance she would see him again. If he died that chance was gone. She would never again hear his laughter or see his smile, nor would she ever feel the warmth of his touch or the comfort his embrace provided in her darkest times. That couldn't become nothing more than a memory, she wanted him to stay!

"Please don't go... I-I need you here with me!" Kisa sobbed as she placed her forehead to the boy's and ground her teeth in distress.

"P-Please don't leave me!" She added as her voice cracked and her attempt to maintain composure failed, resulting in her crying loudly as she watched her healing efforts slowly start to take hold. But just as quickly as she began to gain the upper hand something else went wrong; her seal was retracting and if this activation was anything like the last, she would not be able to remain awake once it did so.

Watching as the dark grey skin on her hands began to break down to its core snowflake design and retract up her arms Kisa began to panic, trying her absolute hardest to heal as much of Akito's flesh and organs as she could before time ran out, especially since his arm remained untouched and in just as dire a need for medical attention as his stomach.

"No, no, stop! Please, no! Stop!" She screamed in anger as the curse continued past her elbows towards her torso as the world began to become bright and her concentration started to slip. She couldn't black out now, if she did Akito would die! She had to keep going!

Desperate for a solution, Kisa instinctively leaned her head down to her left arm and sank her teeth into her flesh as hard as she could in an attempt to keep the curse active through pain, which did seem to work as the seal's egress slowed while doing so. However this was only temporary and after a few seconds it's deactivation resumed, changing her hair and skin back to normal as her hands began to tremble, causing her to break her contact with Akito's wounds as the world around her started to spin.

"N-No!" Kisa cried out as the weight of everything became too much, resulting in her needing to support herself with her arms as she briefly listed to the boy's right side for a moment before falling off of his lap to the ground below, which no matter how hard she tried she could not recover from. Unable to do anything else, Kisa reached out and took the boy's right, ungloved hand as the darkness growing around her consumed her conscious, leaving his face as the last thing she saw before she once again slipped into yet another curse mark induced sleep, praying he would be alright.

"A-Akito…"


	18. Chapter 18: Wake

Feeling a sudden breeze rush over her Kisa opened her eyes to the sky above, tinted red by a gently setting sun in the distance as several clouds slowly drifted by. It seemed as if it was nearly the end of a bright summer's day, but much to the girl's surprise she had no knowledge of where she was or what she had been doing there, prompting her to sit up on her elbows in the grass field she lay in and look around.

From what she could tell she was somewhere in the Land of Fire based on the mountains in the distance but that still didn't explain what she was doing there, nor did it seem like anyone else was around. However as she spun around to look behind her she suddenly gasped as her eyes locked onto Akito, who had been lying with his head beside where hers had been while looking up at the sky.

"Is everything alright, Kis?" He asked with a smile as their eyes locked together, bringing the girl to blush as she looked away and nodded.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just… had a weird moment. I can't seem to recall what we did today." She replied as she reconnected their vision, bringing Akito's grin to widen as he sat up as well and turned to face her.

"We've just been hanging out, remember? We did some shopping, went out to dinner, and then we… well, you know." He said with a light chuckle and red cheeks, causing Kisa's face to turn as dark as they could as she tried to determine what it was that they had done, though she said nothing as she watched Akito turn back towards the sun and smile.

"After that we decided to come out here to watch the sunset together, but I think you fell asleep." The boy added as he reached out for her hand, prompting Kisa to look at it for a second before weaving her fingers between his and placing it gently on her lap; something that felt strange yet ultimately right in this moment.

"Yeah I… I guess I did. I'm sorry." She replied as Akito looked over to her again and smiled.

"You don't have to apologize. I know you've been tired lately and I figured that it wouldn't be right to wake up my wife when she was comfortable." He replied, once again causing the girl to grow wide-eyed and red-faced as she now realized that she was not wearing her normal attire and was instead wearing a red dress-like outfit that featured a lapel that ran all the way down her right leg as was traditional in Iwa's culture, as well as his clan's symbol prominently displayed just above her knee.

"W-Wife?" She stuttered nervously as she looked back up at him in disbelief, causing him to laugh and squeeze her hand gently at her attempt to appear innocent.

"We've been married for almost a year now, you still aren't used to being called my wife? How will you handle being called 'mommy' then?" Akito questioned with his signature grin, causing the girl to become even more flustered as she looked down at her stomach and placed her hand on it with a small gasp. She hadn't noticed prior to now because of the rather loose clothing she was wearing, but underneath the maroon tunic she could feel a slight rise in her stomach; she was indeed with child. His child.

Looking back to Akito in shock Kisa immediately froze as her eyes met with his soft, compassionate grin once again, as if his mention of her being pregnant brought him into an uncontrollable smile from the excitement.

"You know we are still a little while away from finding out if it will be a boy or a girl, but I hope it's a girl. That way she can be as beautiful as you are and not end up like me." He added as he jokingly pulled on a strand of his untamed hair, causing her to blush wildly once more as she looked down again at her stomach. Was this a dream? She had no recollection of anything leading up until now, and certainly nothing pertaining to marriage or the creation of a child with him, yet she found herself unable to question it.

Looking back up towards him to speak Kisa's eyes shifted to behind him as from the ground emerged a dark shadow that grew to the height of a man before taking shape into the man who had cursed her; his yellow eyes peering right past Akito towards her as a wide grin formed on his lips.

"There you are." He slithered as he opened his mouth and unhinged his jaw to pouce onto her husband Kisa quickly tried to stand to defend him, but as she attempted to do so she found herself frozen and unable to move, leaving her little choice but to watch in sheer horror as Orochimaru reached out towards Akito and let out his distinct, enraged cry.

"AKITO!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as the man's mouth neared his head, but just as his teeth latched onto Akito the whole world suddenly flashed into a blinding light, bringing her back into reality as she shot forward to a sitting position on Tsunade's couch and screamed loudly. Her heart racing and her body drenched in sweat, the wide-eyed girl quickly scanned her surroundings for any clue as to where she was, though it took only a few seconds as the mid-day sun almost instantly drew her eyes to the balcony.

As she suspected it was all a dream, a rather bizarre dream at that, but how did she end up here in Tsunade's apartment? Everything in her mind seemed as foggy as if she were watching it through someone else's eyes, but she could vaguely remember attempting to run away from the village. Had that all been a dream too?

"L-Lady Tsunade? A-Akito?" She questioned out loud in search of their host, though after a second without a reply her eyes returned to the balcony door as memories of her argument with Akito to return before her eyes. She could remember his attempt to cheer her up as well as her anger-fueled response, but most prominently she could remember the hurt in his eyes as he disappeared out into the storm, leaving her with the same pain in her heart as that moment.

With a grunt Kisa grabbed her head as a sharp pain pierced through it and the seal on her neck began to burn for a moment before quickly subsiding. How could she have done that to him? Was he still mad at her? Was he the one that brought her back after she tried running away?

Desperate for answers the girl cautiously shifted her feet to the side of the couch and looked over her body, which she could see from under her tank top was rather bruised and had been bandaged in several places, causing the memory of what had happened to come back strong.

In an instant her mind became flooded with the images of what she had done in the woods, focusing on her fight with the Anbu as well as her monstrous appearance, causing her seal to burn again as she reached up with her right hand to grab it; the remembrance of their bodies and the harrowing violence that led to their deaths causing her to grimace.

"G-God, I…" She stated as she leaned forward and grabbed Akito's necklace around her neck with her free hand, once again causing more of what happened in the woods to return, this time being Akito's return to her side and his refusal to ever leave her alone, both of which brought her to blush. But much to her dismay the memories didn't end there, and as Raigetsu's attempt to kill her and her involuntary reaction to save herself came to light she couldn't help but gasp in horror. It wasn't a dream. All of these horrible things really happened... where was Akito?!

"A-Akito." She called softly under her breath as she frantically looked around the room for any sign of the boy, only to find nothing as her heart sank into her stomach. This couldn't be happening. That last time she remembered seeing him he was unresponsive and bleeding to death due to two large pieces of ice that had pierced his stomach and his left arm, nearly tearing the latter from his body, but she couldn't remember anything after that. Did she heal him? Was he alright? Was he… was he dead?

No, he couldn't be gone! He promised not to leave her alone and he never broke his promises to her! If he died because of her how could she ever live with herself?! Where was he?!

Refusing to give up hope Kisa immediately stood up to her feet with some difficulty before unsteadily beginning to make her way towards the apartment's main hallway while looking over to the kitchen. She needed to find someone to help her figure this all out! She needed to find Akito!

"Takao? Shizune? Is… i-is anyone here?" She questioned with no reply, prompting her to look the other direction towards the apartment's bedrooms at the end of the short hallway. Given the time of day it was highly unlikely that anyone would be sleeping, yet the room where she had been staying before was now shut, causing her to believe that someone might be in there. Was it possible that Akito was in there? With how little her own injuries had recovered it seemed likely that he would still be recovering as well, especially with how badly injured he was… injuries she inflicted upon him herself.

Stumbling down the hallway while visually clearing each of the open rooms as she passed by Kisa's heart continued to race, increasing in speed with each step closer she came until finally coming to a stop just before the door with her eyes hesitantly fixated on the knob, afraid of what she might find on the other side. What if what she did to him couldn't be fixed? What if he had to spend the rest of his life without his left arm? What could she possibly say to him knowing she was the one who did that to him?

Taking a deep breath as she grasped the handle, Kisa cautiously opened the door and slowly stepped inside, only to freeze as her eyes instantly locked to the boy she had been searching for as he lay motionless on top of the bed, his body wrapped almost entirely in bandages. Although he was not on any sort of crucial life support she could see that his condition was severe enough for Tsunade to have brought one of the medical computers from Konoha's hospital to track his vitals signs and that he seemed to be receiving some kind of intravenous fluid through his left arm, likely to combat what she could see was a rather unstable blood pressure.

"A-Akito?" Kisa stuttered in disbelief in an attempt to wake him as she walked a bit closer, though after a moment more of silence she once again grabbed at the necklace around her neck with both hands as her eyes began filling with tears. From what little light that was entering the room through the almost entirely closed blinds she could see that his left arm was still attached to his body, although that offered little consolation to the girl as she could clearly see that he was in rough shape; far worse than she had ever seen him in before.

On top of his abdomen, torso, broken nose and arms he also had bandages wrapped around his forehead and she could tell from the bruising around his eyes that he had suffered some sort of traumatic head injury, likely from being thrown through her ice dome. From what she could tell it did not seem as if he had been awake since that moment, driving the knife that was piercing her heart even further. How could this have happened? She may have protected herself from Raigetsu, but at what cost? How could she put him in harm's way to save herself?

Fighting back her sobs, Kisa watched helplessly as memories once again began to play through her eyes, starting from the very first time their eyes met as he clung to the ground in pain from his battle with Deidara and proceeding through nearly every moment the two had shared since. She could see him helping her fight the Kusagakure ninja who had attacked them despite being held against his will as well as his refusal to leave her side when she was trapped under the debris inside of Orochimaru's lair, all of which he did not because he had to, but because he wanted to. He wanted to stay and help her, he wanted to keep her safe... and for what? For her to betray his trust?

Even worse was the fact that she could see each time he smiled in vivid color, each of his laughs just a clear as the moment he let them out. She could recall each word he spoke and each promise he made word for word, the warmth of his touch and the comfort that came with it, causing her sobs to escalate quickly as she grabbed onto the wall beside his bed to steady herself while covering her mouth.

"What… w-what have I done?!" She cried out after a moment before grunting in pain as the memories brought her mark to start to activate, once again burning at her neck. Reaching up to grasp the ungodly affliction that had caused her to do all of this Kisa gnashed her teeth together in anger, though after but a moment the pain quickly subsided as from behind someone reached out and placed their hand on her shoulder, prompting Kisa to spin around with a gasp as she came face to face with the Fifth Hokage's somber expression; her eyes locked to the bedridden, comatose boy before them.

"Easy now. I know it is hard to do so at a time like this you need to remain calm. The counter-seal is still fresh, and the last thing we need right now is for you to break out of it." She warned in a passive tone as their eyes met, bringing the girl to bite her lip as she tried desperately to hold back the squeal of heart-twisting pain mounting in her chest. Counter seal? Had she finally placed the counter seal on her? Was that because of what she had done?

"L-Lady Tsunade? I… I don't understand. What… what happened? W-Why would I do this to him? Why d-did I turn into such a monster?!" She cried despite her best efforts to remain calm, bringing Tsunade to frown.

"When you went off into the forest alone your confrontation with Raigetsu and his men prompted your curse mark to progress to its next stage of activation: the third stage we spoke about before. In that state it seemed that Orochimaru was able to completely influence your mind, prompting you to fight with the tools he had provided for you with deadly effect." She informed her as her eyes again drifted over to Akito as she walked up to the bed and placed both of her hands on the wooden footer.

"I seems that in that state that you were unable to judge friend from foe and lashed out at him with full force." She continued as she visually inspected the bandages around his stomach and arms for any sign of blood seeping through, though it appeared that much of the bleeding had ceased, bringing her to sigh.

"And this one… he should have never tried to intervene without understanding what he was up against. That stupid decision nearly cost him his life." The Hokage added with a tinge of irritation at the boy's actions, bringing Kisa to shake her head and a sharp inhale as she sprung to his defense.

"H-He did it for me, Lady Tsunade. H-He wanted t-to make me feel safe… to t-try and bring m-me out of that state… he was d-doing it for me!" She cried out as Tsunade watched her curse mark for any changes, though her eyes shifted back to her as the girl spoke up again while trying her hardest not to choke.

"W-Why hasn't he woken up yet? H-He's going to b-be okay, right?" Kisa questioned as the Hokage looked to the boy and sighed quietly; her question about him waking up mirroring Akito's own when Kisa laid in the same bed a week before.

"I'm not sure. He's suffered a rather rough head trauma as well as a small fracture in his skull. I was able to fix the fracture but there is no telling when he'll wake up again." She replied as her attention ventured down to his body.

"His other injuries were far more extensive, however. The ice spear that pierced into his abdominal cavity damaged his gastrointestinal system as well as his left lung, the one that struck his arm nearly tore it from it his body and on top of it all he suffered multiple broken bones in his back, likely from the same blow that gave him the concussion. Shizune managed to fix as much of the damage as she could, but the rest of it will take time. We just need to let him rest." Tsunade continued as she looked back to Kisa who was clearly beside herself from hearing exactly what she had done.

"As bad as it seems he only survived because of you. The team that found you in the woods are entirely convinced that if it hadn't been for your attempt to save his life he would have bled to death long before they arrived." She added to try and ease Kisa's pain and guilt, though the girl did little more than continued to sob as she shook her head.

"N-None of this should have happened to begin with… this is all my fault! T-The l-last thing we did was argue, a-and now he… he has to wake up Lady Tsunade… he j-just has to." She exclaimed, causing Tsunade to look at her with a bit of confusion.

"Arguing? Arguing about what?" The Fifth question as Kisa's eyes drifter to hers shamefully, though it was her silence that brought Tsunade's eyes to harden and her arms to cross. She had been waiting for two days to find out what exactly happened and it seemed that there was no better time than right now.

"What exactly happened that night, Kisa? Only you and Akito know, and I obviously can't ask him. Did Raigetsu take you from my home, or did you leave because of this argument? All we know is that Akito's clone told us you had gone missing, hat he was trying to find you and that when we found you he was in the beginning stages of hypovolemic shock from wounds caused by your kekkei genkai. That's it." She stated as Kisa's breath trembled, though it was Tsunade's next question that drove her emotions into overdrive.

"Did you intentionally try to kill Akito?" Tsunade inquired to the record straight, bringing Kisa to gasp as she immediately shook her head. She would never try and kill him, never!

"N-No! I c-could never, I… I..." She began to reply as she looked down at the boy and then to the ground. It seemed they really didn't know what had happened, but now that she was asking she knew that she would be unable to lie to her, no matter how guilty she felt about defying the Hokage's orders to stay inside. She was the one who messed up, and she had to come clean.

"T-That night I… I ran away. I thought that if I made it back to Kiri I-I could e-explain to the Mizukage what had happened or… o-or trade my life in exchange for Takao and Akito's." She began as she sobbed and tried desperately to hold it together.

"I waited until I thought that everyone had fallen asleep, b-but when I went to leave Akito was still awake. He looked sad so I asked him what was bothering him, although he was only concerned about me. I told him that everything was overwhelming and t-that it felt like I was losing everything, and he said he knew what that felt like… a-and I-I got mad." Kisa continued as her hands gripped her necklace tightly with the thought of what she said to him.

"I-I… I yelled at him. I-I told him that there was no way he could ever know what I w-was going through, even if h-he did lose his brother... t-that he didn't understand what it was like to lose everything."

Hearing the words leave her mouth only served to increase her shame. After everything they had been through together, after how close it felt like they had become… why couldn't she just accept his attempt to comfort her?

"T-Then he disappeared into the storm, and I-I took my chance and ran… that's when Raigetsu found me. They chased me all t-the way out into the field, and then I… I turned into that thing… k-killed all those people. Akito… t-tried to save me… h-he swore he wouldn't leave me, even when I-I begged him to. B-But Raigetsu wasn't dead, and w-when he c-came back, I snapped…" She continued, her breath staggering as she tried to think of what else to say; the memories causing her to let out a loud sob as it became harder and harder to carry on their conversation.

"I-I never wanted t-to hurt Akito, I j-just… m-my body f-felt like it was acting in its own, l-like someone was controlling me, a-and when I snapped out of it…" The girl tried to continued, though after a second she fell silent and shook her head as she looked back at Akito.

"I know h-he was just trying to make me feel better, I-I s-should have just let it go, even if he did make it up! If I had, maybe none of this would have ever happened!" She cried out as Tsunade watched in silence; her mind playing the ironic twist she was hearing over and over again. He really never told her about his family? How could that be possible?

"Kisa… it wasn't just his brother that Akito lost, and he wasn't just trying to make you feel better by making up some story." She replied, bringing the girl to look back towards her with overwhelming sadness and a hint of confusion, causing Tsunade to speak again.

"He really never told you?" The Fifth asked to which Kisa slowly shook her head, again causing Tsunade to let out a small sigh as she this time motioned towards the two empty seats beside Akito's bed.

"Come sit down. There is something I think you need to hear. I had hoped Akito would have told you himself, but I feel it is more important now than ever." Tsunade stated as she carefully helped the stiff girl over to the chair she spoke of and sat down.

"Do you remember when you and Takao asked about Akito's time in the Genin Exchange Program?" The Hokage questioned before waiting for the girl to nod to reply to continue.

"You may recall that I said Akito and his partner were part of the first and only class… but what I left out was that they were the only participants. It was his partner that betrayed him and lead the program's cancellation." She continued, causing Kisa's eyes grow wide as she recalled what Tsunade had told her days prior. She had assumed that this supposedly horrendous event had something to do with Akito but she never had the chance to ask him.

"This all took place after I had parted ways with the village so most of this information is second hand, written in the notes of both the Third Hokage as well as Akito's former sensei, Reina. His partner was a young kunoichi from Amegakure known as Clove; a quiet, intelligent girl that was as resourceful as she was dangerous thanks to a clan-specific form of the Storm Release kekkei genkai that allowed her the channel her chakra through metal objects with little resistance, even allowing her to manipulate their movement. From what she wrote it sounds like the two of them had developed a strong bond that lead to them becoming a rather effective team, and that this bond transformed into a form of intimacy despite Reina's best efforts to prevent it from doing so."

Listening intently amidst her continued sniffling, Kisa couldn't help but feel her stomach tighten at the mention of Akito harboring feelings for someone else. She had barely accepted the fact that he might care for her as more than a friend, so why would she suddenly feel… jealous?

"If they were an effective team why would she run the risk of ruining that by keeping them apart? Just because they had feelings for one another?" She questioned after swallowing any hint of animosity from her voice.

"Reina feared that there was something else going on behind the scenes; that Clove wasn't who she really said she was and that it was all just a ruse, though the Third was unsure what to think of her hunch and thus failed to act on it." Tsunade replied as she too looked back to Akito for a second in an attempt to try and think what was going through his head during this time of his life. Knowing him he probably spent most of his time in an emotional cage, unsure of what to say or do, though part of her believed that his nervousness to become close to anyone or show affection was a result of this whole ordeal rather than a contributing factor.

After a moment the woman let out a sigh as her eyes drifted over to the end table beside the bed and focused on Akito's forehead protector; it's freshly cleaned black band folded up underneath it's metal faceplate as it awaited return to its owner thanks to Takao.

"Unfortunately, in the end, she was correct." She stated with clear frustration as Kisa again stared at her, both curious to know exactly what happened while also exhibiting a bit of caution. She could already tell by the look on the Hokage's face that whatever had happened was particularly gruesome though she was not sure why, causing her to grow uneasy.

"What happened? What did she do?" She questioned hesitantly, causing to Tsunade to look at her for a moment before turning back to Akito, as if the boy's image would help her recall his tragic tale better.

"As part of the exchange program the trio were sent to both Iwa and Ame to display to the village's leaders the success of their cooperation, heading to the Hidden Stone first as it was deemed the more valuable of the two parties to entertain. On the night of their arrival they did as they were instructed and met with Iwagakure's elders as well as the Third Tsuchikage himself, but since they were not due to arrive in Amegakure for another six days Reina agreed to allow them to stay another night, as the next day was one of Iwa's most important and prominent fall festivals; completely unaware that the whole thing was a trap."

"Using the chaos generated by the influx of people into the village for the festivities, several members of the girl's clan infiltrated into the natural fortress that is the Hidden Stone and sought out those who belonged to Iwa's Explosive Corps, many of whom had been marked by Clove herself. They waited until the end of the night to act, using the cover of the evening's fireworks display to surgically strike down nearly all of those who possessed Iwa's most coveted kekkei genkai." Tsunade continued as she paused and looked down to the floor, pulling Kisa closer to the edge of her seat as Akito's past began to take shape; the pieces of his puzzle finally connecting together after months of wondering.

From the first time he showed some form of angst towards Ame she knew that there had been some sort of resentment in his heart towards the Village Hidden in the Rain and from the moment he first mentioned his partner was from there she knew it must have had something to do with her, yet she never expected this.

Was this why he very rarely spoke of his mother and father? Could… could he really have lost his whole family? Looking back it was clear now that he never once referenced them in the present tense, never spoke of going home to see them or talking with them when he went home… what happened to them? Where were they?

"Akito's parents… are they..." The girl began to question as the nauseous feeling in her stomach began to grow in fear of what she was about to hear, though before the rest of the words forming on her tongue could leave her lips Tsunade spoke up again.

"His mother Mieko, a true kunoichi of Konoha, was a friend of mine from before the Second Shinobi World War. She was sweet and kind, but also strong and unwavering in the face of adversity. She would do anything for you and was an asset to all those who found themselves attached to her, both officially as well as through her friendship."

"His father Shigeo on the other hand was ruthless and cold. He cared little for the lives of his enemies and struck without hesitation, though that didn't stop Mieko from seeing past that facade to what she believed was inside of him. I was there the day they met on the battlefield… ironically it was almost identical to the way that you met Akito. We lost touch after she immigrated to Iwa to be with him." She explained as she thought back nearly eighteen years into the past, causing a small smile to form on her face for a second before disappearing quickly.

"They were on their way to celebrate the festival's conclusion with their son and his partner when they were ambushed just outside of the Himaku family compound… they died fighting to save one another, as well as trying to save their only remaining son." She stated, bringing the wide-eyed girl sitting beside her to grab the jewel around her neck tightly in disbelief. If what she was saying was true that would mean that Akito was an orphan just like her; that everything he had been trying to tell her was true and that the last thing she ever did was berate him for trying to make her feel better, claiming he knew nothing of her pain while in reality he knew all too well just how she felt.

"W-Where was Akito? H-How did he survive?" She questioned with teary eyes locked back to the Hokage's.

"After she handed off her intel to her compatriots Clove was tasked with one final mission; kill the boy she had grown so close to. Under the guise that she wanted to speak with him alone she drew him away from his family earlier in the afternoon and ultimately ended up bringing him to a secluded rooftop around the time of the attack to watch the fireworks, though as the assault began she instead attempted to take his life." Tsunade replied as Kisa stared for a moment before looking down at his necklace and shaking her head, unable to fathom ever trying to take the life of someone she cared so much about.

"H-How could she do that? If she cared a-about him, how could she so easily try to kill him?" She questioned in response as she once again tried her best to hide her jealousy.

"According to what she told Akito in their final conversation she was given no choice in the matter and that she was sorry for what had to happen. She then hesitantly lashed out at the boy who having spared against her many times effectively countered her attempt, leading to a long, drawn out battle across several of Iwa's rooftops. However, as the assault carried on one of Clove's clansmen came to her side and, disgusted by her inability to kill even the youngest member of the Explosive Corps, tried to finish the job with his own hands."

"He made the mistake of telling Akito that his parents had been killed, and in a rage, and harboring none of the same reservations he held fighting his partner, Akito killed him… but as he turned to try and reason with Clove she struck him down, piercing him through his chest with one of her metal tools just shy of his heart." The Fifth stated as she stood up from the chair and after a brief bout of thought pulled Akito's bandages to the side, revealing the small scar on his chest where a round object about an inch in diameter pierced through his skin and burned his flesh with electricity, causing Kisa's breath to quiver as the Hokage continued her story.

"Reina believe this was done intentionally as Akito stated that while he laid there helplessly Clove came to his side, but that despite being in a position to end his life with ease she instead stared at him in horror for a moment before fleeing the village, leaving him to nearly bleed to death before being found."

"But mercy or not it didn't matter as the damage they sought to inflict was already done. Within an hour's time nearly all known users of the Explosive Release kekkei genkai were dead, as was almost every member of the Himkau clan, save for Akito and his now rouge cousin, Deidara." Tsunade continued as Kisa stared in shock; her sky-blue eyes still filled with tears as she continued to try and hold it together despite her strongest urges to break down into tiny pieces.

She had been trying so hard not to believe the Hokage, praying and hoping that she too was just making this all up in an effort to punish her, but there was no way it wasn't all the truth. She could see the scars on his body and now looking back she could hear the pain in his voice as he tried to tell her the truth that night; truth that she refused to accept. How could she have been so stupid? So naive? The world was full of suffering and death, and that pain was not just exclusive to her. She had found someone who truly understood what it was like to be alone, someone who wanted to take that feeling away from her… and she did nothing more but turn him away.

"D-Did they catch w-who did this? Did… did he ever see her again?" She questioned in an attempt to break the silence that came over the room as well as prolong her rapidly cracking psyche, to which Tsunade shook her head.

"No. Ame's leaders claimed that neither Clove nor any member of her unidentified clan returned to the village following the massacre, and despite the Tsuchikage's insistence that they themselves had been involved in planning or even ordering the attack, no evidence of such claims existed. As you can imagine the loss of their Explosive Corps greatly weakened Iwagakure's military capabilities and after a little more than two weeks the whole thing was dropped and classified in fear of another nation finding out the extent of Iwa's wounds."

"Akito never returned to Konoha as a student and it wasn't until about three years ago that he set foot back in the Hidden Leaf, and even then he never spent more than a few hours in the village at a time... at least until he brought you two here that is. His former sensei took the events hard as well, and after a bout of rather significant depression she gave up her position as a Konoha shinobi altogether and parted ways with the village."

Having explained everything that she knew of the boy's past Tsunade looked back at Akito's face and then turned towards Kisa who remained visibly distraught, but just as their eyes connected her conflicted emotions collapsed under their own weight, leaving her unable to do little more than break down into tears as she grabbed at her chest to combat the pain in her heart.

"A-All of this is m-my fault! H-He tried to tell me all of this himself, tried t-to show me I wasn't alone, a-and I screamed at him! I-If I would have j-just listened to him, h-he… I-I should h-have just let R-Raigetsu kill me, t-then he wouldn't b-be laying here like this!" She cried, instantly causing Tsunade to scowl.

"And what good would that have done? Akito came after you because he wanted to keep you safe, do you really think that if he would have found your corpse that he would have just let it go? He would have done everything in his power to make Raigetsu pay, and with as many Anbu as there were lying in wait he most certainly would have died as well." The Hokage scolded, causing Kisa to look up at her for a moment before looking back down at the floor speechless.

Embarrassed and wishing that in this moment she could simply cease to exist the girl placed her face in her hands and leaned forward in a self-soothing attempt to hide from the world, leaving the Hokage to sigh as she sat down at her side and place her hand on the girl's back to try and comfort her.

"I'm not telling you all of this because I want you to feel bad, nor am I doing so to punish you for leaving my apartment against my orders. I'm trying to show you that just as you have suffered in life so has Akito and that now that pain is what has brought you together, creating the bond you two share and driving the feelings you feel towards one another." She stated as Kisa looked up at her surprise, having not expected for the conversation to have taken this turn.

"L-Lady Tsunade, I…" She stuttered as her mind drew a blank, trying desperately to make sense of her thoughts. Since they first met she had been trying to figure out just what it was that was pulling them together so what she was saying made sense, and even if the exact workings of it all were a mystery she wouldn't dare deny how happy she felt when she was in Akito's company. She would do anything to see his smile and feel the warmth of his embrace again, but with everything that had happened how could she? How could she fix this?

"I-I don't know w-what to do." Kisa admitted after a few moments of silence as she continued to sob, causing the Hokage to look back at Akito.

"Right now we don't have many options. We just need to wait for him to wake up and go from there." She replied, though after a second she looked back to the girl as she again took Akito's necklace in her hands, this time looking down to it as she did so. When she was in a coma he spent nearly every minute of his time by her side waiting for her to wake up, and she was going to do the same; not because she felt entitled to do so, but because she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"D-Did he really spend t-the whole time I was unconscious b-by my side?" She questioned in an attempt to reassure herself that this was the right decision before waiting for Tsunade to nod, at which point she returned her eyes to his necklace.

"Then I-I'm going to stay r-right here by his." She added following, causing the Hokage to stare for a second before form a small smile on her lips. She hadn't said it, but she could tell that in some way Kisa's intent was to ensure that he wouldn't be alone, just as he had done for her two weeks earlier.

"I'm sure that would mean alot to him, Kisa. I know you certainly do." She stated as she stood up from the chait and placed both hands on her hips, bringing Kisa to blush a bit through her sadness before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, madam Hokage." She responded, to which Tsunade smirked.

"You and I will have a conversation about your attempt to run away later, but for now just try and relax. You are recovering as well and that counter seal needs time to set in. Shizune will be in after a little while to check up on you two… if her and Takao ever come back from the office, that is." The woman stated before smiling down at the girl once more, making her way out of the room and quietly closing the door behind her to leave them alone.

Waiting until she heard the door's latch close securely, Kisa immediately looked back to Akito and descended into sobbing again. Even if Tsunade's closing words seemed to lighten some of the burden on her heart she still knew that everything was far from alright, despite wishing that it would be.

Sniffing back a whimper the girl slid her chair closer to the boy's bed and locked her eyes to his calm, painless face as he slept. He looked as peaceful now as every other time she had watched him sleeping, bringing her a sense of comfort in the fact that it didn't appear that he was in pain, though a frown remained on her features as she reached up and brushed a loose hair from his bruised eyes with little hesitation.

"I-I'm so s-sorry… for not believing you, for not trusting you… for doing this to you. P-Please forgive me..." She whispered between sniffles as her eyes moved down from his face to his right hand. Over the hours prior to their fight they had held one another's hand several times and right now she couldn't help but desire it's warmth, desperately seeking it's almost magical and instant comfort.

"_I'm not going to leave you alone. Not like this… not ever." _His voice stated in her mind as she cautiously reached out for his hand and paused for a brief second before taking it in hers and interlocking their fingers together. She didn't know if he could feel her, but she certainly hoped so. He needed to know that unlike Clove she wouldn't abandon him and that she would be there waiting until the moment he woke up.

"I-I'm not going to leave y-you alone ethier, Akito. I'm going to make this right… whatever it takes." She added as she again broke down in tears before burying her face into her free arm by his side to muffle the sounds of her cries, her mind replaying the dream she had been living before waking up while remaining completely unaware that across the room Takao had silently opened the door just a crack and now stood watching her actions with his own sense of sadness. He had just returned along with Shizune from Tsunade's office and upon hearing that she finally awake was excited to see how she was, but it seemed as if what she needed most right now was some time alone with him.

"It's been a long time since I saw her this upset… not even when Jun died." He stated after gently closing the door and turning back towards the Fifth and her assistant, both of whom stood and watched him from the far end of the hall.

"She obviously really cares about him and after everything that's happened I can't blame her for being upset. The two of them are lucky to be alive." Shizune replied as Takao walked towards them, crossed his arms and leaned up against the hallway wall with a sigh.

"Yeah, no doubt. If your team wouldn't have found them when they did this would be a whole different conversation." Takao replied before looking over to the Hokage again.

"Have you heard anything else from the team you sent to Kiri?" He questioned, bringing Tsunade to shake her head.

"No, not yet. It's only been two days though, so I suspect it will be at least another before Kiba and the others get back, no matter how fast he moves." The Hokage responded as she turned and walked towards the glass balcony door, leaving Takao to nod as he thought about his time in the Hokage's office with Shizune that day.

"Ah, well the team you sent to alert Iwa to Akito's condition returned earlier." He replied as Tsunade looked to her assistant for confirmation, bringing the woman to nod.

"They stated that they had barely crossed the mountains along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth when they were stopped by an Iwa patrol, to whom they relayed their message before returning home." Shizune stated as the Hokage nodded and turned back to the village.

"No word on how they plan to handle it?" She questioned as Shizune shook her head, bringing Tsunade to sigh and Takao to speak again.

"Is she going to face action from Iwagakure now as well?" He asked, instantly causing both women in the room to look over at him.

"The group I sent out there was to alert them that there had been an accident and that Akito was in rough shape with strict orders not to put the blame on anyone, but if they plan to make an issue out of this once they get here I assure you they won't get very far."

Hearing her reassurance that no further harm would come to Kisa, Takao silently took a breath and nodded in a sign of appreciation. They had already been through so much already, but now with Akito like this and with Orochimaru's curse mark fully activated he knew that adding more worry to the weight on her shoulders was far from good.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." He stated before shifting his attention to something else that was on his mind.

"So that counter seal your friend with the grey hair put on her when she was out... will it work? Will it keep her from losing control again? What about keeping him from controlling her?" He questioned as he walked over to the couch Kisa had been sleeping on and sat down while behind him Shizune did the same with a stool at the kitchen counter.

"In theory, yes. This seal had been used before to keep Orochimaru's curse marks in check, but ultimately that is up to her. If she allows the seal to break, even temporarily, it could allow him to control her again, but I wouldn't be too concerned. From what you've told me about his current condition he is barely a sliver of what he once was, as evidenced by his inability to keep her control for more than a few minutes at a time, so as long as she maintains relative control of herself he should be unable to influence her." Tsunade replied, bringing the man to ask a follow up inquiry.

"If he isn't able to control her, do you think he knows where she is? Do you think he would be bold enough to try and take her?" Takao asked to which the Fifth shook her head.

"Doubtful. Even if he knows she is here in Konoha he hasn't set foot in the village since his failed attempt to destroy it three years ago, so the likelihood of him returning is beyond abysmal; especially with how much increase security we have nowadays." She replied as Shizune spoke up.

"Now whether or not she tries to run again, that is a different story." The woman stated as she leaned her head down on the palm of her hand from exhaustion, causing Takao to look back at her and then to the door that hid Kisa and Akito from their sight.

"I will keep an eye on her to ensure that doesn't happen." He stated as adjusted himself to be a little more comfortable on the couch and grinned.

"Besides, I don't think she's going to go very far with him like that. Before, maybe. But now... there's no way." Takao added as Tsunade formed a small grin and shook her head.

"Let's hope you are right. I've had enough excitement for the year, and it's only March." She joked as Takao shook his head as well and leaned it back on the couch.

"No kidding."


	19. Chapter 19: Waiting

Stirring awake in an awkward position between sitting on the chair next to Akito's bed while resting her head on the pillow beside his, Kisa slowly opened her eyes to the sight of the mid-morning sun peaking through the bedroom's blinds. Coming to her senses she lifted herself off of the boy's pillow and quickly checked to see if he had woken up, though upon seeing his bruised eyes resting calmly in the same position they had been in before she fell asleep she let out a small sigh and readjusted herself to a position of comfort on the bed beside him.

It had been almost five days since he chased after her into the woods, three since she first awoke to discover the nightmare that she had created, and although she had kept her promise to stay by the boy's side she could feel herself slipping further and further back into the depression that Akito had tried so desperately to stave off.

For hours on end she sat by his bedside in tears until her eyes ran dry, only moving once the hard wooden construction of the chair she sat in made it painful to remain idle, at which point she would move onto the bed beside him as she waited anxiously for him to wake up. She couldn't stomach the thought of food and had barely slept more than a few hours combined, though on the few occasions she did manage to nod off it was always while sitting on the bed beside him, resulting in her waking up with her head against his, embarrassed and flustered.

This feeling eventually came to pass the more regularly it occurred however as her body began forcibly shut down in an attempt to regain energy, and although she initially fought the urge to sleep with what strength she had left, she simply came to accept the fact that being at his side was the only way her mind would allow herself to rest.

Letting a small yawn escape her lips the girl slowly ran her fingers through her hair to try straightening out the bed head she had somehow formed during her short time asleep before looking out at the morning sky again. There wasn't a clock in the room but from what she could tell it was more than likely around nine or so in the morning, meaning that soon ethier Shizune, Takao or the Hokage herself would be coming in to check on them as they did every morning, making it important that she get herself together for what would likely be another long day.

With another small yawn Kisa's eyes shifted back to Akito's painless expression, instantly bringing back the haunting memory of his smile, specifically the smile that formed as she took his hand at the conclusion of their date. In that moment she felt as if nothing she could do would ever cause that smile to disappear from his face, but now she doubted that was still the case. When he woke up there was no telling just how he might react to what had been done. She hoped with all of her heart that he would be there to tell her everything was okay but deep down she couldn't shake the thought that he would hate her, and if that were the case she couldn't blame him.

Regardless, Kisa's eyes slowly focused on a loose strand of his hair for a moment before slowly reaching out, instinctively taking it between her fingers and cautiously moving to the side away from his eyes. However, instead of immediately withdrawing her hand from his face the girl cupped the side of his cheek momentarily and rubbed his skin with her thumb, once again recalling Akito's actions; this time being the subtle yet calming way he had brushed her skin with his own.

"Goodmorning, Akito." She said softly as she let go of his check and sat back against the headboard of the bed, silently wishing he would open his eyes to respond as he had done nearly every morning since they met. She had come to look forward to his friendly greeting as if it were some kind of daily ritual, though she never knew how much she appreciated it until now.

With a small sigh the girl made herself comfortable by his side in an attempt to relax, though as the handle of the bedroom door turned moments later she sat back up straight and watched as the door opened and Takao entered, causing her blank stare to soften into a feigned yet lighthearted smile and prompting the man to do the same as he shut the door behind him.

"I thought I heard someone rustling around. Everything alright?" He said as he made his way towards the two of them, prompting Kisa to shake her head.

"Everything's alright Takao, thank you for checking. I just woke up... I guess I must have fallen asleep." She replied as Takao pulled up a chair beside her.

"Yeah I'd say so. I came in a little while ago to see if you needed anything, but based on just _how_ you were sleeping I figured you were just fine." He replied with a small laugh and a grin as he sat down, causing Kisa to look away and huff under her breath as a small tinge of red darkened her cheeks. By now it was clear that he had seen just how connected to Akito she had become and that he knew she held feelings for him, but that didn't make it any less flustering to hear him reference them directly in any form.

"Not funny." She replied with a hint of irritation as the man shook his head and continued to grin before looking back at Akito, taking note of his lack of movement from the night before.

"How's our boy doing today anyway? Still not awake I see." Takao asked, bringing Kisa to shake her head as she too turned her attention to Akito for a moment and then down at his hand near her leg.

"No… not yet. His wounds are healing as they should, but he just isn't waking up." She replied in a disheartened tone, causing his smile to slowly fade to a mundane grin.

"I know, but he will. At least, he better. I have a rematch to win." The man responded with a small chuckle as he placed his hands together and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees towards her.

"In the meantime, why don't you come and get something to eat for breakfast, hmm? Talk with Shizune and I, or even Lady Tsunade. We can even spend some time outside on the deck if you want. You haven't eaten since you woke up from your coma and I'm beginning to worry about you." He added, though almost immediately after doing so Kisa shook her head.

"I'm alright Takao, and I… I don't think I would be very good company right now." She replied before looking down at Akito.

"Besides, I wouldn't feel right leaving him like this. Not after I was the one who put him here." She added as her sad eyes reconnected to his, bringing him to frown. It wasn't a secret that she still felt terrible about what had happened, and that was why he was doing everything he could to try and keep her mind off of it. Since she woke up she had been able to maintain control of her curse thanks to the help of her seal but that fact could change in an instant, and for that reason Tsunade asked him to try and keep her spirits high.

"You didn't do this on purpose Kisa, you know that. Akito knows that too. This was all that thing's fault, and Orochimaru's too." He replied, but Kisa simply looked at him for a brief second before looking away.

"I don't know... it may have been the seal that caused me to attack him, but it was my decision to try to run away that put us in that position in the first place. He stayed with me when I was fighting to wake up… I have to be here." The girl added, again causing Takao to huff.

"I understand, but starving yourself isn't going to make him wake up any faster. I don't want you to get sick and neither would he." He countered as Kisa's attention returned to her longtime friend and lead to her staring at him for a few seconds before yet again looking down at the bed.

Two nights ago while checking on Akito's condition one last time before bed the Hokage told her just how worried Akito was that she wasn't eating or sleeping when she woke up from her coma so she knew that Takao was right, but even if Akito wouldn't want her to go hungry because of him it wasn't her fault. She wasn't just avoiding eating because she didn't want to, it was because she couldn't. The thought of food caused her stomach to turn from a combination of grief and lack of sleep, as did the thought of socializing, even with her closest friend. How could she just eat and laugh as if nothing ever happened?

Regardless of how she was feeling, however, Kisa slowly nodded in agreement and looked back to him with a small smile as she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. Takao was often easy going, but when it came to matters like this he was capable of being just as stubborn as she was, so she knew that he was unlikely to relent until she agreed to at least try.

"You're right, he wouldn't want that." Kisa said softly as she turned towards Akito for a moment and slowly took his hand in hers regardless of Takao's presence, bringing the man's eyes to widen. This was the first time she had openly shown affection for the boy aside from the random bits of pieces he had seen through passing glances, reinforcing the fact that she cared more about him that just being a friend, though his eyes shifted back to her face as she squeezed his fingers gently and stood up onto her feet while fighting back a sniffle.

"Thank you for keeping an eye on me." The girl stated as she tucked her hands around themselves in a sort of self-soothing hug and loosely gripped the sleeves of the hooded sweatshirt she was wearing, prompting Takao to grin.

"We've been together for nearly a decade, Kisa. You don't need to thank me for looking out for you." He replied as he too stood up from his chair and placed a hand on her shoulder for a second before motioning his head towards the bedroom door for her to follow, though he stopped to allow her one last look at Akito on the way.

Looking over her shoulder as Takao closed the bedroom door behind them Kisa continued to follow her friend until they made their way out onto the deck, at which point she immediately made eye contact with both the Hokage and her assistant,

both of whom smiled at the sight of the girl they had grown concerned about.

"Look who it is. Finally decided to join us for a little fresh air, hmm?" Shizune questioned as Kisa nervously nodded and formed a small smile. Ever since the incident she had been treading lightly around both women in fear of what they may think of her, regardless of their lack of obvious judgment.

"Yeah, umm… Takao insisted so, here I am." The young woman replied as Shizune turned to the man beside her and scowled in annoyance.

"We didn't tell you to force to come out here." She berated as Takao laughed and shook his head.

"Whoa now, I didn't force anyone." He stated in defense of his actions as Tsunade herself laughed and shook her head as she walked towards Kisa and motioned towards a small table at the far corner of the deck where she could see several covered bowls of various sizes sat waiting.

"Still, we are glad that you chose to join us for some breakfast, and before you even say it I'm sure Akito will be fine." She stated as Kisa grinned halfheartedly again and nodded, knowing well that the Hokage was doing her best to cheer her up as well.

"I know he will be, Lady Tsunade." The girl replied before following the others over to the table and sitting down besides Takao, who wasted no time pushing one of the bowls in front of her and handing her a pair of chopsticks to eat with.

"Here you go, eat up! I know Okonomiyaki is one of your favorites." He exclaimed as he uncovered his own bowl and began to dig in without waiting for anyone to start theirs, causing Shizune to glare at him while Tsunade simply sighed and turned her gaze towards Kisa.

"How are you feeling today? Is everything still feeling alright with the counter seal?" She questioned, to which the girl slowly nodded as she reached up and subconsciously rubbed her skin with her hand.

"Yes, everything seems to be normal. I occasionally feel a slight tinge of pain, almost like a light burning, but it subsides almost immediately. I haven't felt any real pain with it since... right after." Kisa replied with a slight pause, leading to understand this was in reference to her discovery of Akito's condition as she nodded and gathered a bit of Takao's meal at the end of her utensils.

Takao was right; Okonomiyaki was one of her favorite breakfasts especially when he made it, and although it had been some time since they last had it Takao still managed to remember that she preferred her traditionally savory pancake a bit more on the sweet side.

"That's good. With time you may come to forget that the curse is even there, though you will still need to remain in control and should always avoid the temptation its power may bring. Tapping into the seal may seem like something you could benefit from, but I assure you that it is not as easy to control as it may appear to be." The Hokage replied as Kisa poked her food aimlessly and gathered a small bit of the cake with her chopsticks as well.

"I understand, but the last thing I want to do right now is risk losing control again, let alone allow it to happen willingly. I… I would rather die. I won't be that… monster, ever again."

Looking up at the girl's reply as she hesitantly placed the small collection of meat and pancake at the end of her chopsticks in her mouth, Tsunade couldn't help but stare. She had alluded to death as something she would prefer several times now, causing her to worry about her mental state and what she may do should Akito not wake up in an attempt to atone for her actions.

"You know, as difficult as this is to imagine, it is possible that this may not just be a curse." Tsunade added as Kisa's head tilted a bit to the side.

"What do you mean, Lady Tsunade?" She asked as the Fifth took a mouthful of food and wiped her mouth.

"The last Konoha shinobi who was cursed by Orochimaru was given the same seal counter seal and the same instructions; avoid its influence and use at all costs. However, doing this resulted him being tempted to tap into the power even more and, through a series of unfortunate events, his defection from the village." She began to explain as she stared down at her food in thought, trying to make sense of what she was saying.

"I look at the seal as a sort of barrier, like a dam. In times of heavy rain a dam is put under heavy stress from the buildup of rain water within its walls, possibly causing it to crack and break apart, but if you allow water to drain out of it in a controlled fashion you can avert the crisis with minimal damage."

"As far as I can tell the biggest threat you face seems not to be the seal's power but the stints of Orochimaru's control that come with its use; stints that, although this may be hard to believe, are nowhere near as volatile as what we saw he was capable of years ago. I believe that if we expose you to the curse's power bit by bit while under the seal's control it may allow you to not only better maintain composure in the face of Orochimaru's influence, but to use it for your own means." She continued in a confident manner, though no matter how certain she sounded Kisa remained hesitant.

When the curse was active she was both dangerous and unpredictable, and she had a hard time believing that the reward of using this cursed power to her advantage was really worth risking losing control and injuring another of her friends. Why would she bring this up now? Since she first came to Konoha for help she had heard nothing about the curse mark on her neck that wasn't terrifying and had experienced its destructive power first hand, so was allowing the seal to activate even under a controlled situation really such an idea? To her this felt like an experiment on cursed seals more than anything else, bringing her to feel uneasy about what she was saying.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel as if Tsunade was holding only her best interests in mind. Since she first met the Hokage a few short weeks ago she had grown to accept the kunoichi as a far, compassionate individual who cared about her well being regardless of what village she was from, and nearly all of her being seemed to trust that what Tsunade was saying was nothing more than an attempt to help her.

"I'm not sure. After everything that's happened I... I need to think about it." The girl replied after a short period of silence following the end of the Hokage's explanation, causing the woman to stare momentarily before forming a soft grin.

"Of course. I didn't mean to seem like I'm forcing you into this, I'm just trying to maybe help you make sense of all this. Maybe get you to look at this all in a different light." She responded as Kisa shook her head.

"I know Lady Tsunade. Thank you. Thank all of you." Kisa replied before continuing to eat as best as she could, cautiously eating only the pieces of food in her bowl that looked most appetizing in an effort to keep from becoming ill.

"What are friends for?" Shizune questioned with a smile as Kisa nodded and the group began silently eating their food, though after a few seconds of gauging the current mood in the atmosphere Shizune looked to the Hokage for a moment in an effort to silently ask if she could proceed with the news they had planned to reveal to the girl.

"So Takao is already aware of this, but the team that was sent to Kiri has returned." She began with a soft tone after receiving Tsuande's nod of approval, instantly bringing Kisa's eyes up to hers as the girl prepared to take another bite; her stomach tightening into a knot and her heartbeat speeding up as she did so. She knew that just like the group that had been dispatched to Iwa another had been sent out to Kiri to relay what had happened that night several days ago, but she had been trying her best not to think about what message their return would bring.

"Really?" The girl replied sheepishly as Shizune nodded.

"Yes, and as far as replies go I have to admit that none of us were expecting what the Mizukage had to say. It turns out that Raigetsu was sent here with the intent to bring you two back, but that if it was not possible to do so without incident they were to allow you to stay until everything could be worked out." The Hokage's assistant stated as Kisa swallowed the lump building in her throat.

"What? The Mizukage didn't want him to… to kill us?" Kisa questioned as Tsunade shook her head.

"According to the letter I received from her they were in their right to defend themselves during your first encounter, but that they were sent here under strict orders not to allow their exchange with you two to escalate to that point again, and that they were to avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary to defend themselves. As she sees it, Raigetsu and his group's decision to remain in waiting outside of Konoha's gates directly violated that order, as well as the understanding that other villages shall not do business so close to one another's walls, and it seems that the two hunters who survive the ordeal will be answering for that disobedience in Raigetsu's place." The Hokage explained as a massive whirlwind of emotion flooded through the girl's mind.

Although her life had led her to know that what was being said should be met with a bit of skepticism in the event that this could be an attempt by the Mizukage's to prevent backlash for ordering such a brazen move, she couldn't help but believe it was the truth. Much like she believed that Tsunade would never sink as low as to use her as an experiment she believed that Mei could not bring herself to lie about something like this, but that only served to make the guilt in her heart grow, as if that were indeed the case it meant that everything that had happened was the result of Raigetsu's disobedience. Her seal's progression, her loss of control, Akito's injuries; it was all because of his disobedience, and could have all been prevented had it not been for his selfish pride.

"Oh." Kisa replied quietly after another brief moment of silence as her eyes shifted down to the table in front of her, although as her demeanor soured Shizune spoke again, hoping to raise her spirits up with a bit with the truly good news out of all of this.

"There's more though; in light of Raigetsu's treachery, the Mizukage has agreed to formally clear you and Takao of all of the charges being brought against you." The woman said, forcing Kisa's eyes back up to her then to Takao with further surprise as he nodded and opened his mouth to speak as well.

"She even cleared Jun of any wrongdoing as well, ensuring that his name be placed on the memorial for fallen shinobi." Her partner added, though before she could express the sudden burst of joy and relief coming over her Tsunade began to continue, causing her to look back at the Hokage with attentive ears.

"But, there was a stipulation." She interjected as Takao's grin simmered down a bit, bringing Kisa to worry. A stipulation? What could that be?

"What kind of stipulation?" The girl questioned as Tsunade looked at her for a moment.

"Because of Raigetsu's high standing in Kiri's society, Mei believes that it would be best if you two did not return to the Hidden Mist for the foreseeable future."

Take note of the Hokage's addition, Kisa's eyes widened and her heart once again sank from it's relatively high standing back to the deep, dark pit it had been stuck in the last few days.

"Not… not return to Kiri?" She asked aloud in disbelief, bringing Tsunade to nod.

"I understand that this bit of news is probably hard to swallow, but Mizukage Mei insisted that this was for your own wellbeing." Tsunade replied as Kisa's vision diverted to the table. Even if the news that they were no longer being hunted as criminals was the best she had received in weeks it was followed by one of her biggest if not worst fears; the reality that she and Takao wouldn't be allowed to return to the place that they had called home for the entirety of nearly both their lives.

Her breath silently quivering under her breath, Kisa subconsciously pulled her free hand away from the base of her food bowl and moved it closer enough to her heart that she could feel Akito's necklace through her hoodie; the thought of her grandparents back in the village bringing tears to well up in her eyes. They were the last shred of true family she had left in the world, and given their age and rather shaky health she couldn't help but fear that she would never see them again.

"But if we can't return to Kiri… what will we do? I've… I've never known anything but the life of a shinobi. If we c-can't be ninja I… I don't even know where to begin. What about Takao's family and my grandparents, we'll… I'll never see them again." She responded, prompting Tsunade to tilt her head as the deep sadness in her words became apparent.

"This isn't meant to be a punishment so I'm sure that we could arrange some way for you to see them, and as far as being a shinobi goes, nobody said that you two had to give up that life." She stated, waiting for the girl to look at her before continuing.

"One of the other things that Mizukage Mei mentioned in her letter was that until the day comes where you could return to Kiri both of you are free to pursue other opportunities. You two are essentially unaffiliated ninja, free to find a home wherever you see fit… even if it is only temporarily."

Having known about the Mizukage's letter but having been previously aware of this detail, Takao cocked his head and swallowed the large chunk of Okonomiyaki he had placed in his mouth moments before.

"Well if that's the case, do you think it may be in the cards for us to remain here?" He asked bluntly, causing Kisa to look at him with a bit of anxiety and frustration brought on by his bold and straightforward question before turning back to the Hokage and Shizune, both of whom looked at one another momentarily before both smiled and nodded.

"I know that your decision to come here was never intended to be permanent, but we've actually already discussed it and, pending the approval of the village's council, I believe that Konoha would be fortunate to have the two of you enter our fold." The Hokage admitted as both Kisa and Takao's eyes opened wide in disbelief.

"Y-You want us t-to stay here and become Konoha shinobi?" The girl questioned as Tsunade laughed under her breath for a second or two before finally nodding.

"You are both highly skilled and dedicated shinobi who have shown not only me and Shizune but many others in this village that you can and do belong here. Takao, you've been a fantastic help around this place as well as the office and wherever else I've sent you, and Kisa, your work at the hospital's clinic is still being talked about. You've proven to be reliable and trustworthy, and we both feel that you would fit in perfectly."

"Of course, you are free to appeal to other villages and even continue living unaffiliated if you so choose, but with everything that has happened and with your curse mark's counter still relatively fresh, I would feel most at ease if you would agree to stay here, or at least for a little while longer." She added as the two again looked at one another for a moment, after which Takao formed a wide grin.

"I mean, I'm game. I've grown used to this village and I feel that if we must start over, this is the place to do so, though I'm not going anywhere without you. We are a team and we stay as a team, regardless of who's symbol I carry on my forehead." He stated as Kisa's features softened and then again dropped to the table in silence; her eyes darting back and forth to the sides of her bowl and the chopsticks in her hand as she ran through everything in her mind. The Hokage claimed that she believed her to be reliable and trustworthy, but if that were true, why did she try and run away? Did she really still believe her to be worth her time, even after everything that had happened?

Again swallowing nervously, Kisa's eyes direct themselves back towards the two women across from her, looking to them each individually for a moment or two her head slowly nodded forward in agreement. Even if the idea of resettling to another village and becoming a shinobi under their flag was as surreal as it was intimidating, she couldn't help but agree that Konoha would be their best choice. They held no connection to any other village nor did they have any other place to turn to, though with Akito still here in the Hidden Leaf she doubted she would be able to leave even if she did so.

"Then that's what we'll do." She replied with uncertainty, bringing Takao's grin to widen as Tsunade's own grew to match it.

"I'm glad to hear that. There is a meeting of the village council in a few days, so I will make sure to discuss with them what we will have to do to make it all official, but as far as I'm concerned you are both Konoha shinobi." The woman stated as Kisa slowly formed a small, miniscule smile.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

After their breakfast the group split up to go about their daily tasks with the Hokage and Takao heading to the office to tend to the day's Kage duties while Shizune opted to remain at Tsunade's home to keep an eye on their guests. Immediately following their meal Kisa had planned to return to Akito's side but had instead chosen to go about her limited daily routine while she was already up and about, leading her to shower before joining Shizune in the living room.

Looking up at her as she stepped into the living room while gently combing her wet hair, Shizune tilted her head to the side and smiled.

"Hey!" She called cheerfully in surprise that she had decided to join her rather than return to Akito's side, bringing Kisa to from a small grin as well as she sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her friend.

"Hey." Kisa replied softly, bringing Shizune to set the papers she had been reviewing to her side before turning towards the girl and immediately taking notice to the fact that the base inch or so of her hair had shifted from it's once frosted blonde to a dark black. This was normal for those who have had dyed their hair a different color as new hair grew from their head but she was unaware that Kisa's distinctive white hair color was not natural, and although she had not really seen much of the girl over the past few days she found it odd that her hair could grow noticeably longer in such a short period of time. Could this have been from her curse mark somehow?

"Feeling better after a nice, warm bath?" Shizune questioned as she shifted her attention to the girl's hair to her still rather somber eyes, bringing Kisa to nod.

"Always do. It's usually quite chilly back home, so it's always refreshing to just relax and warm up." She replied, to which Shizune laughed and agreed as Kisa's eyes looked back over to the papers beside her.

"Is that more information regarding the academy students?" The girl asked, bringing Shizune to look back at her papers before shaking her head.

"No, not today. This is actually information regarding the Akatsuki. Everything we know about the organization and its members is in this file, though admittedly that isn't much." She replied as Kisa's head tilted a bit to the side out of curiosity. The Akatsuki's existence was no news to her or anyone else from the Hidden Mist thanks to one of their belonging to the organization, though she would be lying if she said she had ever seen any documentation related to any other member.

"May I see it?" Kisa asked, prompting Shizune to look at for a second before nodding. Nothing inside of the folder was truly confidential so she saw little harm in sharing what they knew, especially with the special connection she shared with them now.

Closing the brown folder that the documents were contained within she carefully reached forward and handed it to Kisa before sitting back as the girl opened up the folder and began to sift through the documentation. The file seemed to be in order of the member's villages, starting with Konoha and moving on to the others as she began to cycle through the information, though it wasn't until she reached the section dedicated to Iwagakure's only member that she paused.

Unlike the bingo book provided to them by the Hidden Mist these files included some photographs, including one of Akito's missing cousin Deidara; his bright blonde head and somewhat nonsensical expression both clear deviations of Akito's reserved, almost somber demeanor and dark hair.

"This is Akito's cousin." She stated aloud, bringing Shizune to sit up a bit in order to see the picture before nodding.

"Yeah, that's him. They don't share the same last name but I assure you that's him, even if he looks like more of a delinquent more than a dangerous criminal." Shizune replied as Kisa's eyes focused on the in the picture. It was clear now that the man in the image clearly mirrored the description from their bingo book, causing her guilt to grow.

"He really doesn't look like him at all."

Hearing her comment but unsure of its intention, Shizune looked at her for a moment before Kisa caught on and spoke again.

"When we first found Akito he tried to convince us that he was innocent, citing that he looked nothing like Deidara, but we didn't believe him. We saw his kinjutsu and the damage his fight with the real rogue had caused in the nearby town and forest and just assumed he was lying. That's how he was dragged into all of this to begin with." She added in a discouraged, shameful tone as the memory of how badly they had treated him returned to her forethoughts, prompting Shizune to look down at the photo and shake her head in disagreement.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Kisa. Given what the Akatsuki had just done weeks before I doubt that there was any shinobi in the world that would have have taken his word, especially since he shared his cousin's unique characteristics. Their kekkei genkai is quite powerful and shouldn't ever be taken lightly. There is a reason why Kiri teaches their shinobi to avoid members of the Explosive Corps when the situation is not stacked in their favor." Shizune replied as the girl beside her looked up to her eyes for a moment before looking back down at the file, thinking over what Shizune said as her mind shot back to her conversation with the boy about his kekkei genkai.

"I just wish we would have listened to him back then. If we had, Akito would have been left to go on his way in search of Deidara and none of this would have happened." She added with continued shame and sadness, bringing Shizune to tilt her head as she began formulating a response from a different perspective.

"Maybe, or maybe it was because of you three that Akito survived. Deidara was likely desperate for respite following his encounter with our shinobi, and both Lady Tsunade and I are still shocked that he didn't kill Akito during their fight. Cousins or not, Deidara is one of the most dangerous rogue shinobi currently on record and Akito is lucky to be alive." Shizune replied as Kisa's eyes lifted up to hers for a moment before the girl let out a short sigh.

"Maybe. I just hope he wakes up soon." She replied, again prompting Shizune to speak up as a small, compassionate smile appeared across her lips. Even though she had ventured from the room that had acted as her voluntary prison over the last few days she knew that Kisa was still just as concerned about Akito's recovery as ever before and she would be lying if she didn't find this behavior adorable in some reason, especially since it mirrored Akito's own when their places were reversed.

"I'm sure he will Kisa, just give him some time." The woman replied as she moved to shift their conversation away from what was bringing her down to another topic, prompting her to reach her hand out for the files on Kisa lap, which the girl handed over without question having found what she was searching for.

"Kisame Hoshigaki, the missing-nin from Kirigakure. Did you know him?" Shizune asked as she flipped to the page in her files regarding the Hidden Mist's Akatsuki member, to which Kisa shook her head.

"No. I did see him once or twice around the village when I was little, but he defected from the village when were just genin. Why do you ask?"

"It appears that Kisame Hoshigaki is the assigned partner of Konoha's contribution to the gang, Itachi Uchiha. The two of them have been on the focus of our Anbu ever since they tried to infiltrate the village about three years ago, but they recently made an appearance amidst the escalating reports of Akatsuki activity globally. As you saw the other day Itachi is quite dangerous and according to our reports from the field that day so is Kisame. I was hoping that maybe you might have some information that could help in future confrontations."

Knowing that Shizune was referring to their visit with Kakashi Hatake in Konoha's hospital, Kisa looked at the file on her friend's lap for a moment before shaking her head once more; her memory trying to recall what little information she knew about the former member of Kiri's most prestigious military unit.

"Kisame was a member of our Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and as such is an avid kenjutsu user, as well as being an extremely adept at using water release. He was also known for his fearsome performance in combat and an almost animalistic bloodlust… but that's all I know. I'm sorry it's not much." She replied, though the woman across from her simply smiled and shook her head.

"Don't apologize, every little bit helps." Shizune responded as she once again packed up the papers in her hands and cast her vision across the room to Takao's swords, both of which he had left leaning up against the wall nearest the balcony door.

"Speaking of the Seven Swordsmen, I could only assume that it is Takao's mission to become one of them based on his choice of weaponry." She added, bringing Kisa to look at Heiwa and Senso as well before nodding.

"It is, or at least it was. Takao came from a farming family that had never before produced a shinobi, though his father was once a prominent traveling samurai, so when the opportunity presented itself for his son to possibly become one of the most renowned swordsmen in all of the Land of Water it became both of their dreams… I guess that doesn't matter now." Kisa answered with a bit more disappointment, bringing Shizune to again disagree.

"That dream isn't dashed. There may still be a day where you all can return, and if not… I guess Takao will just have to form a swordsmen group here in Konoha." The smiling woman countered, miraculously causing Kisa to laugh a bit under her breath.

"That is true I guess, though having known Takao as long as I have I find it hard to believe he could ever be in charge of something like that. He's far too… laid back." Kisa stated in response as Shizune herself laughed with her for a second before the woman spoke again.

"Well sometimes that's a good thing. You can't spend your entire life without a bit of fun and obviously Takao knows that well." She responded, though just as she did so the apartment's door handle turned, unlocked and allowed the door to open as Takao and Tsunade stepped inside.

Shocked to see the two of them back so shortly after they departed, Shizune turned around to look at the clock on the wall behind her for a moment before returning her attention to the two of them; both of whom held blank if not somewhat troubled expressions.

"Back so soon? It's barely past one o' clock. Is everything alright?" She questioned the two as Kisa's heart began to silently race at the similarities between this moment and the moment that Shizune returned to let them know that Kiri's envoy had arrived, causing her to become fearful.

"Takao?" The girl questioned to break her friend's unnerving silence, to which Tsunade spoke up.

"Everything is fine, but... " She began as the through the doorframe behind them a duo of shinobi became visible, forcing Takao to step aside as a short blackhaired woman, and a tall, round man, both of whom were dressed in Iwagakure's traditional maroon uniform, stepped inside. Seeing the two Iwagakure shinobi both Kisa and Shizune's eyes widened in surprise, but before either could say anything another figure appeared at the top of the stairs and stepped inside.

An older, shorter gentleman with a balding head and long beard, he wore the Hidden Stone's previous colors underneath a rather ornate green jacket that upon realizing it belonged to an Iwagakure village elder brought Kisa to gasp; the man before them was the Third Tsuchikage himself, Onoki.

Frozen in disbelief, Kisa watched as the Tsuchikage stepped forward into the room and allowed the larger of his two escorts to close the door behind him, all while his cold, emotionless eyes slowly drifted from the Hokage to the large blonde man standing beside her and then finally to her own.

"This is them?"


	20. Chapter 20: The Tsuchikage's Decision

Having thrown the whole room into a complete silence with his inquiry, Onoki watched as Shizune stood up from the couch and bowed as a sign of respect, prompting Kisa to do the same as the old man's eyes narrowed on her. He could still very clearly remember his conversation with Akito upon his return to the village and it did in fact appear that these two were the Kiri ninja in question.

"Well?" He followed up in lieu of an answer, bringing Tsunade to step forward and place a hand on her hip as the other motioned towards Takao and then to Kisa.

"Yes. You've already met Takao Moshi, and this Kisa Hakaru as well as my assistant, Shizune. Kisa and Takao are the two Kiri shinobi Akito returned here to Konoha to help. Shizune, Kisa; this is Lord Onoki, the Tsuchikage, as well as his escorts Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi." She stated as the woman behind the Tsuchikage crossed her arms and shifted her weight bearing leg in annoyance; her eyes now locked to Kisa's as the realization that this girl was Akito's childhood friend set in.

"Where is he? Your messenger team only said that he had been involved in an accident. What's happened to him?" The woman questioned impatiently as Kisa watched on with a sense of uncertainty, as well as a hint of jealousy. The way she spoke about Akito made her assume that she was deeply concerned, bringing her to subconsciously question the connection she had with him.

Seeing the woman's obvious irritation and impatience, Tsunade looked to Shizune in a sort of reassuring fashion to signal that everything was alright before turning back to the Iwa kunoichi with a kind smile.

"He's here, and as soon as the others get here I will take you all to see him. There I will explain everything. I know you are concerned, but I promise that he is alright." The Hokage replied somewhat deceptively, defusing the woman's anger for the moment before she turning towards Onoki.

"I hope so. You are well aware of Akito's status in our village as well as his past, and I would hate to find out that Konoha has once again allowed him to be treated as some kind of experiment." The Tsuchikage responded, bringing Tsunade a tinge of anger though in the best interest of everyone involved she simply suppressed it and shook her head.

"It's nothing like that, I assure you." She replied as Onoki stared at her for a moment and then again shifted his eyes over to Kisa, making note of her timid demeanor as well as her characteristic hair.

"So you are the one marked by the sannin Orochimaru, hmm?" He asked, bringing Kisa'a stomach to knot as she replied with a sheepish nod.

"Y-Yes Lord Tsuchikage." She uttered barely above a whisper, surprising the the old man. Nearly every Kiri shinobi he'd met in his lifetime held some level of animosity towards him so to hear one address him so propper was quite rare, especially in recent years.

Stepping forward towards the girl as his eyes remained locked on hers, the Tsuchikage placed both of his hands behind his back and hummed curiously as Kisa watched in silence. She had always been told that the Tsuchikage was quite a short individual, but now, seeing him in person, it appeared that even those tales were taking his height lightly.

"We too have heard reports of Orochimaru's experiments. Men turned into monsters, bodies mutated beyond recognition, but that description doesn't fit you. Why is that?" The Tsuchikage questioned, to which Kisa swallowed nervously.

"I… I don't know, I-" She began to reply before being cut off by Tsunade who, in an effort to prevent anything she said from sparking hostility from their already clearly agitated visitors.

"It is not entirely unheard of. We have encountered several users of curse marks over the past few years who also lack the defining factors of those afflicted by the curse, but as far as to why Kisa is not permanently affected, we are not entirely sure."

Shifting her eyes from Kisa to Tsunade as she stepped in to defend the refugee, Kurotsuchi scoffed and stepped forward to intimidate the girl.

"To us it sounds like this all started when you abducted Akito and forced him into the Hidden Sound's underground bunker. How do we know you weren't working for the Hidden Sound all along?" She questioned, causing Kisa to grunt under her breath in frustration as Takao stepped forward from his position beside the Hokage to meet the woman face to face.

"What are you insinuating? That Kisa wanted all of this to happen? That she's some kind of Oto spy?" He questioned rapidly as Kurotsuchi, undeterred by the much larger man before her, stood chest to chest with Takao and peered into his eyes.

"Oh not just her; you too. Either of you could have been planning this from the beginning, whatever _this_ really is!" She countered, bringing Onoki to growl under his breath in disgust.

"Enough! We are not here to argue, we are here to find out what has happened to one of our own." He instructed angrily, bringing the woman who had escorted him to cross her arms and step back behind him once again as Tsunade watched on.

She too could see that Kurotsuchi held some kind of connection to Akito as well, though it was hard to tell exactly what it entailed, and it was clear that the tension between the two parties was going to be much heavier than initially assumed.

The Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Stone had long been rivals in the shinobi world and while she had hoped that those differences could have been pushed aside for Akito's sake it appeared that was not the case, making this situation all the more volatile and prompting her prepare a speech to help soothe the emotion in the room. However, before anything else could be said a knock at the door echoed through the quiet, tension-filled room, prompting Tsunade to sigh quietly in relief.

"Come in." She instructed as the door opened and reveal several more shinobi, all of whom wore Anbu cloaks though only half appeared to be Konoha's and from which only two stepped inside before the door once again closed; one from Konoha, who based on his unique mask was the same man present for all of the Hokage's secure meetings, and the other from Iwa.

"Lord Hokage, all of our guests have been cleared. It is safe to proceed." The Konoha Anbu stated, but as he did so Kisa could only focus past him to his Hidden Stone counterpart who, to the best of her knowledge, had locked his eyes on her the moment he entered the room and had yet to remove them.

Over the years she had grown used to being stared at due to her unique appearance, but something about this was man was different and although she could not see his eyes she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable; more comfortable than she already was given the fact that soon she would have to stand there and listen as Tsunade told the Tsuchikage what she had done to his student.

"Alright. In that case, let's go to Akito. It's kind of cramped in there so I have to ask that some of you remain here in the living room. Takao, Shizune; is that alright?" She questioned, waiting for each to nod before turning her eyes towards Kisa.

"I think you should be there." Tsunade added directly to the girl, bringing her to stare into her brown orbs for a moment before silently nodded and lowering her eyes to the floor in shame.

Following the Hokage's instructions to her subordinates, as well as her direct message to the girl with the curse, Onoki looked to his own as well and pointed to both his large guard and the Anbu beside him.

"The same will apply to us. Akatsuchi, Aoi; both of you remain out here with our hosts." The Tsuchikage stated to which Akatsuchi agreed. However, unlike his much larger counterpart, the Anbu known simply as Aoi did not immediately agree and instead looked to the Tsuchikage through his mask.

"If possible I would like to see what has become of Akito Himaku as well, given the situation at hand." The Anbu stated, once again prompting Tsunade to bite her tongue as Kisa stared. Based on the difference in Aoi's uniform compared to the other Iwa Anbu who accompanied him up the stairs it would appear as if he held some sort of position of leadership amidst their organization, but why was he so determined to see Akito even when told to wait outside by his leader? Did he hold some kind of connection to him too or was this all because of his importance in the village?

Heeding the man's request, Onoki stared at him for a moment before slowly nodding and taking a deep breath.

"Given the circumstances I believe that would be acceptable." He stated before looking up at Tsunade with the same unamused expression he had been harboring since his arrival in the room several minutes prior.

"Shall we move on with this? I wish to see my pupil." He inquired, to which Tsunade nodded and motioned towards the long hallway towards their bedroom, allowing the Tsuchikage and his escorts to proceed before. However, as Kisa moved to follow the Hokage stopped her and placed both of her hands on her shoulders.

"Everything is going to be alright, just follow my lead." She instructed quietly as their eyes remained locked together for a second or two before finally breaking apart as Tsunade began to follow the group down the long hallway, only to come to a stop as they reached the bedroom door.

Taking a moment to clear her thoughts in preparation of what she might face once inside, the Hokage slowly reached forward, grasped the handled and opened the door to reveal Akito's makeshift hospital room, including the comatose boy in the center of the bed; his body still mostly covered in bandages and his eyes still bruised.

Spotting his pupil and knowing almost instantaneously that he was clearly not in good shape, Onoki took a deep breath before progressing slowly towards Akito's bed, followed closely behind by Kurotsuchi and the Hokage, all while to their side Kisa hesitantly backed herself into the corner of the room closest to the window. They were just a moment away from asking about and then hearing what had become of one of their own, someone they obviously cared about, and the last thing she wanted to be was close by.

Watching nervously as the Tsuchikage came to a stop at Akito's side, Kisa bit her lip as the old man looked over his student's injuries and then up at Kurotsuchi emotionlessly, though it was clear on the woman's face that she was both angry and concerned, though after only a brief moment Onoki's eyes redirected from his escort to her own for an even shorter period of time before finally ending up on the Hokage's once again.

"What happened to him?" He questioned in an emotionless voice as Tsunade looked at Kisa and waited for her to nod in understanding of her earlier message before turning her attention back to Akito.

"As Akito told you during his return home, Kisa and Takao were involved in a horrible case of deception that left them seeking asylum here in Konoha. Well, after Akito returned a team from Kiri showed up here to negotiate for their release into their custody to face trial back home. We refused this request on the grounds that the two of them would be unfairly represented, at which point these men took it upon themselves to act." The Hokage began, carefully formulating her lie.

It was not unheard of for her to bend the truth for the betterment of all of those involved from time to time, but this was different. If she didn't manage to craft an authentic story, or if the Tsuchikage didn't believe her tale, there could be awful repercussion on all parties involved, including a request from Iwa that Kisa be taken to the Hidden Stone to face trial; a request that unlike Kiri's not long ago she was unsure she would he able to deny.

"As you could imagine both Kisa and Takao are under quite a bit of stress, which in Kisa's case could act as a catalyst for her curse mark's activation. To combat this I instructed Kisa to take a relaxing, escorted walk through the forest, unaware that the same men who had come to legally request her return home were lying in wait. They subdued young Miss Hakaru's escort and kidnapped her, and when Akito found out he ran off on his own to rescue her." Tsunade continued as Kisa's head lowered. She knew that the Hokage was lying in an effort to protect her and, while she appreciated it greatly, she could not help but feel ashamed.

Listening to the Hokage explain how once again Konoha had allowed Akito to be injured due to their own lax approach to safety, Onoki's eyes narrowed on the woman before him in irritation.

"So you allowed an asylum seeker to venture outside your village's walls on a leisurely stroll, knowing they could be in danger? Is this the kind of irrational thought and gross disregard for safety the Leaf has degraded into with the Third's passing?" He berated, bringing the Hokage to twitch in annoyance as she tried her best to remain calm.

"I know now that it was a mistake to authorize such an excursion but you have to understand that nothing is as simple as it seems these days, and that I was only doing what I believed was best." Tsunade replied, again eyeing up Kisa to gauge her demeanor as Onoki grumbled under his breath and allowed Kurotsuchi to speak up.

"Obviously the girl is here alive and well unlike Akito, but what happened to those who abducted her and did this to him? Did your shinobi allow them to escape just as easily as they allowed them to infiltrate?" The girl asked before looking back to her grandfather.

"If Kiri shinobi are responsible for Akito's condition then it is war. Even if Akito was acting to protect one of their own it was completely unlawful of them to nearly take his life, and if we are to rectify this we have to act against the Mist quick-" She began to lecture, only to stop as Kisa stepped forward and spoke up for the first time since entering the room minutes ago.

"No, no! Stop, it… I…" She warned as all eyes shifted towards her as she bit her tongue and locked eyes to Tsunade who was both clearly shocked and irritated by her outburst, though Kisa couldn't help it. Her guilt had reached the point of no turning back after hearing Tsunade being admonished and now, hearing this woman call for war against her former village, she could remain silent no longer.

"The men that took me, they… they didn't do this to Akito. I… I-I did." The girl added after a brief, awkward silence, instantly causing both the Hokage and Kurotsuchi to grunt.

"You what?!" Kurotsuchi questioned angrily as the Iwa Anbu lowered his head a bit in thought, though his eyes remained locked to now outwardly anxious refugee across from them as she nervously crossed her arms and grasped both her arm and Akito's necklace beneath her shirt with both hands respectively.

"I-I didn't mean to, I… when he found me I wasn't myself. I had lost control and t-turned into a… a monster a-and s-slaughtered all of the men who took me before locking myself i-in a prison. I tried to warn him to stay back, but he refused… he said h-he wouldn't leave me alone." She stuttered hesitantly as hundreds of images flashed through her mind and tears began to form in her eyes; his promise never to leave her then nor ever repeating over and over.

"He c-came to save me, b-but when he reached out t-to pull me back, one of the men who t-took me reappeared and I… I snapped. I…" Kisa sniffled out in an effort to prevent a loud sob from escaping her lips, driving her eyes to shift on to Akito's face.

"I…" She again babbled, though before she could formulate another sentence Kurotsuchi stepped forward towards her with gnashing teeth and tightly clenched fists. Akito was one of her closest childhood friends, and to see someone she had grown so attached to in such rough shape because of some girl he barely knew was infuriating, regardless of the circumstances.

"I-I can't believe this! He came back for you, and you've put him on his deathbed!" She snarled, bringing the previously silent Anbu in the corner to affix his eyes back to Akito as he huffed under his breath.

"I can. Akito has always been a fool and I am not in the least bit surprised that he would allow himself to be nearly killed for such an insignificant thing as emotion. This is and always will be his weakness. His father was right to believe that he would be an unsuitable successor to his position as head of the clan." The man harshly criticized, bringing Kisa to gasp as her grip on the boy's necklace grew tighter.

"H-How could you say that about him?" She questioned as she stepped forward towards Akito and sobbed once more, no longer hiding the fact that tears openly streamed down her face.

"H-He did all of this to p-protect me, someone from another village… someone he cares about. T-That does not make him a fool!" She barked back, prompting the mono-tone man to reply sternly as his shrouded eyes narrowed on the girl opposing him.

"And that right there is why he _is_ a fool. Akito cares too much about those who are not his own, even after one such person lead to the destruction of his entire clan and nearly the loss of his own life, and the fact that he once again risked everything for some girl her barely knew only goes to show just how weak he is." Aoi responded, causing Kurotsuchi herself to wince at his harsh words and Kisa to lower her head, allowing her tears to drop to the floor below.

How could he say such horrible things about him? Did he really blame Akito for his family's death? Did he not understand that Akito did this for her; to keep her safe? Akito had to have been the most selfless, compassionate individual she had ever met, but yet this man only saw him as weak. That wasn't weakness.

Seeing her distress rising and not wishing for this spat to progress any further, Tsunade stepped forward towards Kurotsuchi and placed a hand on her shoulder in a silent attempt to ask her to relent, instantly causing the woman's head to shoot around in surprise, though as Tsunade's compassionate expression came into view she simply crossed her arms and looked away while beside her the Tsuchikage took note of the emotion in the room and turned his head towards Aoi.

"Alright Aoi, that is quite enough." He stated, bringing the man to nod as he retreated to his previously established corner, allowing Onoki to redirect his attention to the crying kunoichi beside Akito's bed. He still held anger towards the girl who has so badly injured his adoptive grandson, but it was clear that her remorse was as painful as it was genuine, and as it would not be uncharacteristic of Akito to rush forward alone in an attempt to help someone he cared about, his mind had no choice but to come to the determination that the Hokage and this girl were not lying; despite all of his preexisting animosity and distrust towards the Hidden Leaf, this really did seem to all be a horrible accident.

He had come here with the full intent of diplomatic action against the Hidden leaf should Akito but injured, but now it seemed pointless. Akito made the decision to go out there on his own, clearing Konoha of blame while the girl's involuntary use of the curse mark on her back acquitted her of any fault, leaving the only culprits to face punishment either dead or beyond Iwa's reach at this time.

Shifting back to Akito, the old man couldn't help share some of Kisa's grief as his own memory took him back to his conversation with Akito before he left to return to Konoha. When he agreed to allow Akito to come back he made the boy promise not to make him regret his decision, and if this was Akito's attempt to uphold his promise he sure was doing a bad job.

After a few moments of silence the Tsuchikage took a deep breath and let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"It seems that apart from being a horrible tragedy this really is an upsetting situation for everyone involved, and given the evidence presented here today I see no true fault on Konoha's part, nor on the part of the two Mist ninja Akito came here to help. I also wish to thank you and your team for helping him recover." He stated as he turned to face the Hokage who he knew from Akito's stories he had developed some sort of friendship with, and that he could tell was upset about the boy's condition just as much as the others, despite her best attempts to hide it.

"That being said, I have little choice but to revoke Akito's permitted leave of absence here in Konoha and will be taking him back with us to Iwagakure upon our departure in the morning." He added, instantly causing Kisa to let out a sharp, emotional gasp as her thoughts raced rapidly.

"W-What?" She questioned instinctively without much thought as Onoki looked over to her.

"I'm sorry, but it is what must be done. Akito is one of our own and it is only right that he be taken back to Iwagakure to recover." The man added, prompting Kisa to open her mouth in protest although before she could do so the Hokage stepped beside the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. She had expected this the second the Tsuchikage and his escort showed up at her doorstep and had been preparing for Kisa's reaction all along.

"Before this goes any further, let's talk." She stated as she stared into the girl's watery eyes, beckoning her to nod in agreement before looking back at her own Anbu behind her.

"Don't worry Madam Hokage, I will keep an eye on them." He stated as a gracious Tsunade gently guided Kisa out of the room Akito was in, down the hallway and into the room Takao had been staying in before closing the door.

"Kisa-" She began as the girl turned around and shook her head; her eyes once again filling with tears.

"T-They can't do that, can they? Can... can t-they really take him?" She questioned in a distraught tone, to which Tsunade hesitantly nodded despite not liking the answer she was being forced to give.

"I'm afraid they can, unfortunately." She replied as Kisa's heart cracked into pieces. She was still confined to Konoha's walls under Tsunade's watch; if he left, how would she be there when he woke up? How would she be able to keep her promise to not leave him?

"Lady Tsunade you are the most renowned medical shinobi in the entire world and there is no better place for him to recover than right here in your care!" She contested in a rather bold tone that caused the Hokage's eyes to widen in surprise, though it was clear by the look on her face that it was not anger she was feeling, but fear.

"I'm flattered you think so highly of me Kisa but while I agree that I would rather see Akito's recover out myself it is ultimately the Tsuchikage's decision how to go about this, and highly doubt I would be able to change his mind. We have to respect the old man's wishes… whether we like them or not." The Hokage retorted, furthering the girl's grief. This couldn't be happening.

"Then… t-then I... " Kisa began to respond as her hands again tightened around Akito's necklace as her mind rapidly began to descend into rampant sadness and panic. After everything they had been through, after everything he had done for her and everything she had done to him, she couldn't let him down again. She had to be there for him.

"I'll g-go with him." She finally managed to get out after a moment or two, causing Tsunade's eyes to grow in surprise. Was she really willing to go to Iwa, a place she hated with a deep passion, just to be with Akito?

"Go to Iwa? To the Hidden Stone?" The Hokage question in disbelief as Kisa bit her lip and slowly nodded. She knew even Tsunade was under the impression that she was crazy given her history with the village, but she had to understand why she was doing this.

"If he is going back to Iwa, I'm going too. I p-promised not to leave h-his side and I… I can't break that promise." She responded in the hope that Tsunade would agree with her decision, but much to her dismay the Hokage simply formed a small, sympathetic smile and walked towards her.

"Kisa." She replied as she placed a hand on her shoulder and gently motioned for the quivering girl to take a seat on Takao's bed. Heeding the order Kisa slowly followed behind the Hokage and sat down beside her as the woman took a breath and let out a deep sigh.

"I know you promised to stay by Akito's side, but I… I truly don't think that is a good idea." The Hokage stated, forcing Kisa to gasp in disbelief.

"B-But Madam H-Hokage-" She began to contest before silencing as Tsunade held her hand up to stop her.

"Hear me out first." The woman said as Kisa bit her lip and relented, allowing the Hokage to speak.

"As I mentioned earlier I strongly believe that the safest place for you is right here in Konoha. We may have worked out an agreement with the Mizukage and Kiri, but that does not mean that a dissident who is unhappy with Mei's decision may not try and take justice into their own hands, and counter seal or not, you are still marked with Orochimarus' curse mark and of clear interest to him. Here under my watch I can assure your safety, but in Iwa… I'm not so sure." She explained as her eyes shifted to the door.

"I would have a hard time believing that the Tsuchikage would ever sanction violence against you, but if anyone were to figure out that you were the reason behind Akito's injuries I fear that a situation similar to that with Kiri may unfold. The last of his clan or not, Akito is still a prominent figure in Iwagakure and that makes you the woman who nearly killed him and nothing more, regardless of what happened and how you two feel about one another." Tsunade added as Kisa's grip on her necklace, her chest tightened and her eyes dropped down to the floor.

"I-I… I don't c-care, I'll take my chances I…" She began to ramble before slowly descending into silence on her own; her mind going gray. Could she fight this? Was there anything she could do that could change ethier Kage's mind, or was this just how it had to be? How could this be happening?

Following a short period of silence, Kisa's eyes slowly lifted up to the Hokage as the reality of her defiance set in, all while trying her best to hold back a sob to no avail and began to overflow their banks once again. Why did everything have to keep going so horribly wrong? Why was she so weak?

"I'm s-sorry, Lady Tsunade I… I just d-don't know what to do. I-I was t-the one who f-fucked this all up, a-and i-if they take him, how… h-how will h-he ever forgive me? W-What if he h-hates me because of it?" She cursed, digging her nails into shirt above her heart in the process. Being by Akito's side waiting for him to wake up was her only way to atone for what she'd done? How _could_ he ever forgive her?

Seeing the girl break down once more as the heartbreak in her soul became increasingly evident, Tsunade shifted a bit closer to the girl and again placed her hand on her shoulder with a small smile. It was amusing to her just how alike she and Akito were, especially since both of them were just as afraid to leave the other's side.

"You didn't mess this up Kisa, stop saying that. This whole thing was a series of unfortunate events on everyone's part, even my own, and as far as Akito… I have a hard time believing he's even mad. I mean with everything that's happened, with everything you two have been through and shared in your short friendship, do you really think he's capable of hating you?" The Hokage questioned in an attempt to soothe her sorrow as Kisa's eyes directed down to the bedroom floor and her thoughts shifted back the moment Akito told her that he did not blame her for hating him. She could still see the sadness on his face and the uncertainty in her voice as clear as the moment he asked, mirroring how she felt right now. Was he this afraid of her hating him?

Fighting back a sniffle hard as she forced herself to at least attempt to stop crying, the girl wiped her eyes and leaned on her knees as she tried to clear her thoughts. If she allowed him to go, would she ever see him again? What if something happened to him while he was there? Could she ever live with herself? But at the same time how could she argue? Lady Tsunade was their Kage now, their leader, so it was far beyond wrong to argue with her judgement, even if that judgement was going to cause her pain.

Slowly and reluctantly the girl lifted her head up to look back over to her new leader and nodded in sheer heartbreak, prompting Tsunade's compassionate smile to return as her hand dropped from her shoulder to a top Kisa's, carefully pulling them away from her chest.

"I know how hard this is for you, but I promise you that you are not alone, that we will get through this together and that I will make sure to do everything in my power to ensure you get to see Akito again as soon as possible. You just need to trust me." The Hokage added, bringing Kisa's eyes to widen as the memory of Akito's own promises flashed back; her request for trust mimicking Akito's own as the similarities in the two became clear and causing her to again lower her head.

"I trust you, Lady Tsunade." The girl stated as the Hokage took a small breath of relief and gently squeezed the girl's hand before standing back up on to her feet.

"Thank you Kisa. I have to return to our guests, but if you wish to be alone for now I understand. The Tsuchikage and his entourage will be staying at a secure location in town for the night and I plan to take them there within the hour, so if you wish to return to Akito's side privately you can do so soon." Tsunade replied, bringing Kisa to slowly nod without making eye contact.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

As the Hokage promised Kisa was able to return to Akito's side not long after her departure from the room, though no matter how short of a time she was away it still felt like an eternity, causing her to break down into tearful spiral of sadness that lasted well into the night until finally she found herself unable to cry any longer, at which point she simply buried her head in her arms at Akito's side, diligently watching, waiting and hoping that he would open his eyes as the moonlight crept across his face.

At least if he woke up now she could tell him just how sorry she was, and maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't be left in pieces as she was now. If she was barely able to handle her guilt and sorrow after just an hour away, how would she handles days, or even weeks? Months? How could she survive not knowing how he was doing or if he had even woken up?

How could all of this have happened? Who had she become? Over the course of the past few months she had been cast down from the calm, tactful and loyal Kiri shinobi she had always strived to be into a scared, cursed and disgrace outcast who could never return home. She had gone from worrying about a weekly income to being afraid for not only her own life but the lives of her remaining friends, as well as trying her hardest to understand her own changes.

It was no secret to either her nor Takao that the cold, distant Kisa was gone. The woman who once barely talked to anyone but her closest friends had given way to someone who now relied on many just to make it through to the next, and one who sought the comfort of another to the extent of desiring relationship; a relationship that she never before desired so badly, but now found herself silently crying out for. She wanted to know where the connection with Akito was going, and knowing she may never find out was killing her.

Exhausted from crying her heart out, Kisa's eyes slowly began to close from exhaustion just as the clock's in the Hokage's apartment struck eight, though moments after doing so the bedroom door silently opened to allow the Tsuchikage alone to enter, unbeknownst to Kisa.

"Hmm?" He hummed to himself at the sight of the girl resting her head against his grandson's body, instantly peaked the old man's interest and causing him to lessen his weight a bit using his chakra to come a bit closer for a better look, where it became clear by the girl's sniffles that she had been crying for quite some time.

When Akito requested his leave of absence at the mention of his two friends from Kiri he had a hunch that the request was tendered in favor of this girl as opposed to her partner, though he was not quite sure of the nature of their friendship until explained by the Hokage in private.

Given his disgust for the Hidden Leaf he had gone into the conversation with a great bit of disdain, but as their conversation dragged on he came to take what was being said into consideration, prompting him to request seeing their bond with his own eyes and leading him to where he was now.

Coming almost up to the girl without detection, Onoki took a silent breath and released his weightlessness, allowing his feet to touch back down to the floor with an audible tap in an effort to prevent the half-asleep girl from being frightened. Hearing this, Kisa's slowly lifted her sleepy eyes from the bed and moved them to the Tsuchikage, revealing just how bloodshot they were in the moonlight as they grew wide in surprise.

Caught off guard Kisa immediately attempted to stand and bow as was tradition when greeting a foreign diplomat, though before she could do so her elder waved for her to stop and sit back down.

"There's no need." He instructed as the girl stood still for a moment longer in uncertainty before doing as he instructed nervously, unsure what was happening. Based on the time on the clock it had been hours since the Hokage took him and his escorts out to their apartment, so why was he there? He was just standing still staring at her with a blank expression; was he there to scold or punish her for what she had done?

"T-Thank you Lord Tsuchikage." She thanked nervously as Onoki broke his gaze off of the girl, turned towards Akito and stepped forward towards his student.

"Still hasn't woken up yet." He stated in a stern yet somber tone, bringing Kisa to look at the boy as well and shake her head with a sharp sniffle.

"Not yet." She replied sheepishly as Onoki's cold look shifted slightly into a frown as he shook his head and again caused a brief moment of silence before speaking up again.

"That is unfortunate, but Akito is strong. He'll wake up soon, I'm sure of it."

"I hope so." Kisa replied as she swallowed nervously, gripped the sides of her pants with her fingers and again looked to the boy's peaceful slumber. Akito was strong, one of the strongest people she had ever met, but that didn't guarantee he would wake up after what she had done.

"I… I never wanted any of this to happen." The girl added out of guilt, prompting the Tsuchikage to look at her again, once more taking in his interpretation of her grief.

"I understand that. I also understand that you objected to my decision to return Akito with us to Iwagakure, even going as far as to offer to come with him; to a place you despise. Do you not trust that we can take care of him?" He stated in a calm tone as Kisa's heart began to race and she grew both flustered and uneasy in anticipation of being scolded. What should she do? Lie? No, the only way he would know that is if Lady Tsunade had told him so, but why would she do that?

"I-I… it's n-not that I don't t-think you can take c-care of him, I just… h-he… h-he stayed by my side the whole time I was in that bed, a-and if you take him I… I won't be able t-to do the same. He was there for me, a-and I just want to be there for him." She managed to stutter out after several pauses as Onoki stared at her, bringing the old man to form a small grin at the gesture as he had no doubt that Akito had done just that, though it was the fact that the girl was willing to brave a foreign, possibly hostile land for him that caused him to be most content.

"I'm sure Akito appreciates it. He's had a rough life, so for him to find someone as loyal as you he could confide in likely means a lot to him; regardless of where you hail from and whether or not you were the one who did this to him." The Tsuchikage replied as he took a deep breath and placed his hands behind his back in thought, causing the girl's heart to quicken even further as a restored hope that she may be able to accompany him to the Hidden Stone returned to her mind.

"Lord Tsuchikage… do you…?" The girl began to question, though before she could even fully state her thought the man shook his head and let out a small sigh.

"No Miss Hakaru, I don't think that is possible at this point in time. Me and the Hokage have already discussed the matter and although we managed to _somehow_ agree that your presence may be what was best for Akito, I can not risk bringing another threat to my village. Not with everything that has been happening in recent months." He stated in direct reference to Kisa's curse, causing the girl's eyes to grow heavy as they struggled to involuntarily fill with tears. So it was settled; she would not be allowed to follow Akito.

Even though she had promised the Hokage she wouldn't pursue the notion any further a part of her remained hopeful that somehow she would be permitted to leave with him, and while she was grateful that Tsunade did seem to fight for her chance to do so, she couldn't help but feel entirely defeated and forsaken.

Sniffing back her emotion Kisa slowly nodded in defeat, though as Onoki watched on in silence he couldn't help but feel the all too forgotten pang of compassion that he once knew in his youth strike at his heart, forcing him to come a bit closer to her as he cleared his throat to speak.

"Now now, don't cry. Please. I know that you want to come with him, but it is just not possible right now." He stated as he softly placed his hand on Kisa's shoulder much to her surprise, bringing her to look up at the rather prominent smile displayed across his face. It was strange to him to lay a hand on another village's shinobi without the intent of killing them, but for someone so apparently close to his favorite student he would make due.

"But what I will do is make sure that when he wakes up he knows just how you watched over him as from the way it sounds it seems likely you will be the first person he asks for, and when the time comes where he is back on his feet I will make sure to _consider_ allowing him to find you again." He stated with the tiniest hint of abrasion as Kisa's eyes widened a bit and then darted down towards her chest as her hands clenched the circular emblem around her neck.

She could tell that the Tsuchikage was doing his best to be friendly despite his animosity towards her and although it was nowhere near the same style of comfort offered by her friends or Akito, she couldn't help but take solace in his attempt, causing her to turn towards him a bit and nod with half-hearted, sniffle laden smile.

"T-Thank you, Lord Tsuchikage." She replied, though as she did so something caught the man's eye; a piece of jewellery that he could see ran around her neck and down into her shirt before coming to a stop in her hands above her heart. He had seen her clutching at her chest earlier in the day but hadn't paid much attention until now, causing him to look at Akito's neck for a moment before redirecting back to the girl's at the object's absence.

"Akito's necklace?" He questioned after a moment of silence, causing Kisa to sheepishly nod as she pulled the gold-framed emerald out of her shirt and held it up.

"Y-Yes. He gave it to me when he returned to Iwa to speak with you… to show me he wasn't going to leave me. I tried to give it back, b-but he said he wanted me to hold on to it for him." She stated hesitantly as Onoki remained locked to it's green, moonlit glow. For Akito to give up such an important item to this girl was quite a strong indicator of his feelings towards her, causing everything he suspected about their relationship to lock firmly into place. He really did care about this girl.

Seeing the Tsuchikage's blank stare and misinterpreting his silence as mounting displeasure at her possession of Akito's necklace, the girl carefully pulled her hair to the side and slid the necklace off over her head with great hesitation. She had never been one to put much faith into objects but she would be lying if she claimed Akito's necklace hadn't helped her through all of this, and now after having been wearing the gem nearly non-stop since the day she woke up to find it draped around her neck, taking it off felt wrong.

"H-Here. It… it should be with Akito." She admitted with a heavy heart as she held it out towards the Tsuchikage, but instead of reaching up to take it from her Onoki stared at it for a few seconds before using his own hands to lower hers back down to her waist.

"That necklace means alot to Akito; a piece of him that could never be replaced if it is lost. But if he wanted you to hold onto it, then it should stay with you. Just make sure to keep it safe." The old man added as their eyes locked together again, leading the girl's blue orbs to dart back and forth for a minute in thought before she finally nodded.

"I will, I… I promise I will." She replied, causing Onoki's miniscule grin to return to his lips as he placed both of his hands behind his back, took a deep breath and returned his eyes to his student as he slept.

"Keep an eye on him for me, won't you? We are setting off for home first thing in the morning and I want to make sure I am at my best to get as much distance between this wretched place as possible." The Tsuchikage stated as he turned back towards the door, looked at the girl briefly and waited for her to nod to make his way back to his awaiting escort, leaving Kisa to looked back at Akito.

"I will."

As the Tsuchikage forewarned the envoy from Iwa made good on their promise to leave at first light, coming to the Hokage's residence just before dawn to gather their comatose kinsmen and waking up the exhausted girl at his side in the process. She had only fallen asleep not more than an hour or so before then having been up most of the night hoping he would wake up and although she was distraught to know that their time to part ways had come she calmly stepped aside without without incident.

Retreating to the same corner of the room as the night before, Kisa watched in silence as two of Iwa's Anbu lead by the Hokage herself gently placed Akito onto a pole stretcher to prepare him for the long journey home, gently covering him in blankets to keep him warm in the cool morning air before securing him to the metal frame to prevent him from falling off on the way; all the while silently allowing tears to stream down her cheeks.

Nearing the end of their preparation Kisa was joined by Takao, who immediately placed his hand on the girl's shoulder for support, as well as Shizune, both of whom now knew that there was indeed something else besides a cordial friendship growing between them, even if Kisa didn't say so herself. They knew just how complicated and difficult the involuntary decision to let Akito go was for her and were there to offer whatever bit of comfort they could, leading them to remain by her side as they followed the Tsuchikage's group to the west-most gates of the village.

Coming to a stop just outside of the gates the Tsuchikage stopped and looked up at the rising sun in the distance as it just barely peered over the mountains before turning back to the rest of his group including his granddaughter, though he ultimately set his eyes on the young Mist kunoichi standing besides his student in a somber, grief-stricken trance; her hand gently grasping Akito's as it protruded out from beneath the blanket surrounding him.

Even now at the moment of their departure she seemed commited to be by his side, causing him to wonder if Akito really did make the right decision in allowing himself to become so attached to this girl. Regardless of their differences, it seemed that they each cared about one another, though after a few seconds the Tsuchikage's eyes shifted to Tsunade's, signalling to her that it was time to separate the two and bringing the woman to take Kisa's hand to lead her away.

"C'mon Kisa. It's time for them to go." The blonde woman stated, catching the girl's blue orbs in a stare for a second before receiving the girl's consent to move her away, at which point the Tsuchikage subtly nodded in gratitude before starting to lead his subordinates back towards Iwagakure and leaving the two women standing in the middle of the road.

Watching as the Tsuchikage and his men disappeared over the horizon, Kisa remained silent and still unable to fully come to grips with the reality of what was happening. Akito was gone, taken back to a place she could not go, and there was nothing she could do about it except let out a sharp sob; a sob that prompted Takao to walk up behind her and take her into a one armed hug against his chest.

"Don't worry, he's going to be fine and right here by our side again in no time. I'm sure of it." He stated as the teary eyed girl looked up to him with bloodshot eyes and a broken heart before resting her head against her closest friend's shoulder for support. She sure hoped that was true, but until that day came she couldn't help but worry; both about seeing him again as well as what she would say when she did.

"I hope so, Takao." She replied with another sniffle as she gripped the emerald around her neck tightly in silent prayer.

"I hope so."


	21. Chapter 21: Chasing Rainbows

Somersaulting backwards over a fallen tree and striking the edges of his swords together to create a shower of sparks, Takao huffed and slid to a stop on both feet while simultaneously eyeing up his foe across the field from him; a young, purple-haired woman from the Hidden Leaf who specialized in weapons just like him.

"You're gonna have to do better than that kid!" He exclaimed as he reset his weapons to their ready stance by his side and prepared for another of the woman's attacks as she jumped to the ground in front of him with a light smirk.

"Kid? If I recall correctly I'm the older one here." She responded lightheartedly as she too readied her weapon and lifted her free hand to form a single hand sign before jumping in the air above the man and spinning her blade around in an entrancing manner to create multiple illusions of her sword to strike.

Having known this attack well Takao couldn't help but smirk himself as his eyes focused on the real blade and he dove forward to intercept, locking swords with her and pushing her back as both came to rest at the same position they had been before.

"That was quite impress-" She stated briefly before being forced on the defensive by the tall blonde's offensive.

"Oh I know!" He cocked off as he spun around and forced the woman to block both of his blades at once, prompting her to swing her leg around to kick the man, though as her foot struck his side he disappeared into a splash of water and reappeared behind her.

Again grinning with overconfidence, Takao swung his large broadsword around towards the woman to strike her mid-torso, but as the blade was about to contact the woman jumped up onto the blade. Acting quickly she then spun around, slashed the man's cheek with the very tip of her blade, flipped backwards over him and stood with her own to his throat to threaten him; his eyes focusing on his objective, a single bell tied to her waist, as she did so.

"I can tell that you are still holding back. If you want to defeat me you need to go all-out." She stated in a friendly manner as Takao looked back over his shoulder towards her with a huff of both exhaustion and frustration while sweat continued to run down his face. Even with his hair tied up in a ponytail save for his bangs and his newly acquired knee-length coat opened down to his waist to allow his bare skin fresh air he was having a hard time coping with the Land of Fire's intense late summer heat.

"I'm only holding back for your own protection, Miss. You are certainly skilled, but a blade like this makes no determination between training and real combat; even if it is against someone as ravishing as you." He stated charmingly in reference to Senso, bringing the woman to grin in amusement.

"Flattery may have worked on those girls back home but it won't work on me, I assure you. Even with that mop of blonde hair and muscles." She replied sarcastically, at which point Takao instantly dropped his broad blade to the ground, spun around, crouched and attempted to slash the woman across the chest, only to have his blade blocked as she immediately retracted her own weapon back and down to parry his effort.

Foiled again, Takao dashed backwards from the woman and grabbed Senso as he came to a stop, all while harboring a grin across his face at his opponents intended joke.

"Well it was worth a shot." He replied, tracing the woman's sword with her eyes as she cautiously reset herself to a ready stance in preparation for either his next move or a move of her own. From the way she fought he could tell that she was at least a jounin, if not a member of Konoha's Anbu. It was funny how over the course of the last five months they had gone from refugees in this land to shinobi who were privileged enough to be training under some of Konoha's finest ninja, even if he swore that this late August heat was going to end him.

Taking a deep calming breath as he wiped away the blood running from the small knick in his cheek Takao scanned the horizon in search of his partner for a moment, curious as to where Kisa had gone. Like him she had been paired with a highly skilled opponent to spar against, one that she seemed to somehow be familiar with, though their plan was to remain in close proximity to one another up until her foe forcefully separated the two of them.

Unable to spot the girl in question Takao instead swung his broadsword to the side and replaced it into its sheath before drawing Heiwa closer and preparing to focus more on speed and agility than raw power.

"I have to hand it to you Yugao, when I first came to the Hidden Leaf I doubted there would be anyone as well versed in the sword as those in Kiri, but you sure proved me fuckin' wrong." He stated with a grin as he raised his left hand up to prepare hand signs, to which the woman did the same with her own small smile.

"You are quite talented as well Takao. It has been some time since I've fought against an opponent able to match my own skills with a blade, let alone hold me off for as long as you have, and I do not regret agreeing to the Hokage's request to gauge your abilities." She replied as Takao scoffed.

"About that; Lady Tsunade has been 'gauging' our abilities for quite some time now. When do you think we will finally be cleared to start pulling our weight around here?" The man responded, again bringing the purple-haired woman to grin.

"Soon." She stated before instantly dashing forward towards Takao at lighting speed and attempting to strike him down, only to lock their steel together with a shower of sparks as the two clashed back and forth.

However, after a little more than a few minutes longer the two swordsmen both ceased their hostilities as in the distance a timer could be heard ringing, at which point Shizune suddenly appeared beside the two of them in a puff of smoke.

"Time's up." She stated as she looked over the two for any sign that either of them had the advantage over the another as well as the presence of the bell on Yugao's belt, only to raise a brow in surprise upon the discovery that neither of them had met their objective; Takao had not conceded, nor had she lost the objective.

"It looks like neither of you were able to gain the upper hand." She stated aloud as both combatants lowered their weapons to their sides and looked to with a grin, though Takao's was far wider than his adversary.

"A couple more seconds and that wouldn't have been the case." He stated with a great bit of gall, causing Yugao's smirk to widen. She was not one to entertain arrogance, but based on the man's ability to match her speed and skill she was willing to make an exception.

"If you say so." The kunoichi replied as Shizune stepped closer to the two of them and focused on the woman to her right.

"Thank you for agreeing to help out, Yugao. Based on Takao's abilities Lady Tsunade could think of nobody better to help test his combat capabilities, and I would say that she was right." She said as she reached out and briefly cupped Takao's cheek to quickly heal his injured cheek regardless of his attempt to pretend like it wasn't there.

"You don't need to thank me, I'm just glad I could be of assistance." Yugao replied as Shizune looked around the clearing for any sign of the others. Last she saw of Kisa's fight she was struggling to cope with her opponents unique abilities, especially after being forcibly separated from her partner.

"Have either of you seen Kisa or Kakashi?" She asked as she finished healing Takao's cheek and stepped back, although before either of them could answer the two shinobi in question flickered to their side.

"We are here Shizune. No need to worry." Kakashi stated while placing a hand on his hip and looking to the concerned woman who upon realizing that he was drenched from head to toe in what appeared to be water turned to the woman beside him.

Unlike Takao it appeared that Kisa had barely broken a sweat and had not removed the knitted cap that she had recently taken to wearing over her now chest-length, dark black hair, and that unlike Kakashi, her short sleeved hooded tunic was completely dry.

"What happened to you?" She questioned as her attention returned to Kakashi, bringing him to rub the back of his neck with a lighthearted, slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"Let's just say Kisa here is quite the strategist." He replied as Kisa formed a small grin and held her hand out to reveal that unlike Takao she had captured Kakashi's bell, instantly causing Takao to snicker as he hiked his wakizashi up onto his shoulder and gave his friend a big thumbs up.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" He exclaimed, to which Kakashi laughed under his breath.

"Well I guess one bell is better than none." He chuckled as Shizune shook her head at Takao's excitement and redirected her attention back to Kisa. Holding her hand out towards the girl she waited for her to hand over the bell for her to examine before smiling and handing it back to her a souvenir of sorts, knowing that it had to have been quite the challenge for her to score such a victory of Kakashi.

"Everything alright? Still feeling okay?" She asked, to which Kisa nodded.

"Yes, I'm alright. The counter seal is working as intended, and what little bit of it seeps out I am able to keep controlled." The girl replied as Shizune formed a soft smile; her eyes briefly locking to the Konoha forehead protector proudly displayed around her neck in a fashion similar to that of the boy she cared so much about.

It had been nearly six months since she activated the second level of her curse mark and while she had gained substantial control over herself since then, she was still quite apprehensive about allowing her to tap into such a foreign and dangerous power, regardless of the Hokage's work with the girl.

"That's good, but you have to remember to take it easy. I know that Lady Tsunade has been instructing you how to both maintain and utilize the mark for your own protection but we still don't know for sure if this power can be completely controlled. The last thing any of us want is for something to happen to you." She warned as Kisa's hand lowered to her side and her head slowly bobbed into a nod.

"I know Shizune, I promise that I am being careful." Kisa replied with a small grin, bringing the woman to smile as well as let out a small sigh before turning back to Yugao and Kakashi.

"So, what do you think? Do you feel like you are ready?" She questioned the woman who looked at her fellow proctor for a moment before nodding.

"I think so." She replied, to which Kakashi agreed.

"They've already proven themselves capable while under supervision, so based on their ability to handle themselves against me and Yugao I'm sure they will do well operating on their own." He added, causing both Kisa and Takao to look at one another with a sense of accomplishment and relief before turning to Shizune as she raised a finger to her cheek and grinned.

"It's settled then. You two are officially full-fledged chunin of the Leaf and are free to operate as such." She announced as Takao unleashed another boisterous outburst and formed a wide grin, all while replacing his second sword back into its sheath and adjusting the Leaf forehead protector tied to it's strap.

"Finally!" The man yelled with great relief as Kisa shook her head, trying her best to hide her own excitement though the small smile that formed on her lips gave Shizune a glimpse at how she truly felt. Ever since Akito was taken back to Iwagakure she had watched Kisa struggle to deal with being forced to leave his side, so the fact that this made her truly smile was comforting to see, even if she still remained somber.

Still beaming at their long-awaited promotion to active-duty status, Takao turned to his friends each individually and snickered as he clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth.

"You know what that means right? A celebration!" He added, instantly causing Shizune to sigh in exasperation.

"You're not going to cook again are you? I swear I must have gained about ten pounds since you showed up here in Konoha." The woman complained as Takao's grin only widened at her disdain.

"You bet your ass I am! It's been like two weeks since I cooked a big meal for all of us so it's long overdue, and given the circumstances I'd say there's no better time than tonight!" He replied as he looked back over to Kakashi and Yugao.

"Of course, you two are welcome as well. Five o'clock or so, me and Kisa's apartment; what do you say?" He questioned, to which Yugao formed a kind smile before shaking her head.

"I appreciate the offer but unfortunately I have work that I must attend to. Maybe next time though, if that's alright." She declined politely as Kakashi did the same.

"That's very considerate Takao, however I too have some things I have to take care of." He added as Takao huffed and crossed his arms in a joking fashion.

"Fine then, more for us!"

As he promised, Takao once again prepared a large, over indulgent meal later that night that despite being designed for only four people could easily feed eight, though he didn't mind. Since moving into their own apartment not far from Tsunade's it had become commonplace for him to prepare these elaborate feasts a sort of unspoken token of appreciation for everything that she and Shizune had done, even though he had been told on numerous occasions that it was unnecessary.

Sitting back leisurely in his seat as he let out a loud, satisfactory sigh, Takao placed both of his hands behind his head and grinned.

"Boy that sure was good. Thanks Takao; you're welcome Takao." He joked as his eyes drifted to Kisa, who stared at him with an annoyed stare, before shifting to their guests across the table and focusing on the Hokage as she laughed.

"I've got to admit Takao, it was good. You really stepped up your game on this one." She stated in an intentional move to boost his ego much to both Shizune and Kisa's dismay, causing his grin to widen as he let out a short snicker.

"I'm inclined to agree with you. That premier pork sure was pricey, but once I saw it there at the market I knew I had to have it. Good thing I had that extra coin tucked away from that lame mission you sent us on a few weeks ago down south." He replied, causing Kisa's irritation to grow.

"Why would you say that? What is wrong with you?!" The girl scolded as she reached over and slugged the man in his arm with her fist, causing Tsunade to laugh.

"It's okay Kisa, he's right. That mission was 'lame', but I wanted to ensure that you would be capable of handling any mission, regardless if it was exciting and dangerous or just routine and mundane." She stated as Shizune, who had been the one who lead the two of them on that assignment, sighed.

"Well you won't have to worry about that too much longer. With everything that's been happening I doubt many of your coming assignments will be as slow." Shizune added to which the Hokage agreed.

"You're not kidding. Every day more and more reports flood into my office regarding possible Akatsuki sightings, all of which we are forced to treat as credible and investigate individually. Because of all the fear and uncertainty the Akatsuki is causing across the world many of these reports are unfounded, but we can't risk letting something like what happened in Sunagakure happen anywhere else."

Hearing the Hokage's reply Shizune nodded before crossing her arms and sitting herself back on the couch she had been seated at and looked out of the apartment window towards the sun in the distance as it neared the the Land of Fire's mountain ranges on the horizon.

"I don't like any of this. Little is known about their motive or what they hope to ultimately gain by all of this commotion. We've known about them for a while but before now they were simply a mercenary group, but now they seem to be moving on their own accord." She stated as Kisa watched on, observing what she knew was concern across their friend's face, though Tsunade quickly moved to change the topic to something more lighthearted.

"Don't worry about it too much Shizune or you'll end up stressing yourself out. We have some of our best minds working on these investigations so we'll know what's going on soon enough." The Hokage stated to reassure her before turning her attention to Takao.

"So how did your fight against Yugao go? Was she as tough an opponent as you are used to encountering back in Kiri?" She questioned, bringing Takao to grin.

"To be honest I was quite impressed and surprised to have met such a skilled swordsman here in Konoha. It really shocks me that you don't have a group dedicated to the art of the sword like we do back home." He replied as Shizune laughed under her breath.

"From what Yugao said you were more than just impressed."

With Shizune's comment Takao's eyes turned the woman with a slightly perplexed look on his face.

"What does that mean?" He questioned as her grin shifted from innocent to playfully malicious.

"I think you know what I mean. Tell me, do you make it a point to hit on your opponent often?" She replied, instantly causing Takao's face to sour as he leaned forward on his knees to face her.

"I wasn't hitting on her, it was all banter to try and distract her!" He exclaimed as the woman's grin widened.

"Is that what they call it now? Distracting banter?" Shizune poked again, causing Takao to descend into a frustrated flurry as he tried to disprove what the woman believed and leaving both of the others in the room to laugh, though after a moment or two of laughing hower the Hokage's eyes shifted from the pair arguing in front of her to Kisa.

"So I heard you got the bell off of Kakashi. May I see it?" She questioned much to Kisa's surprise, though without question the girl reached into her pocket and pulled out the bell in question before holding in front of her by it's string with a small, proud grin.

Seeing it, Tsunade reached up and gently took it in her own hands to examine as a kind smile formed across her own lips.

"It isn't often that Kakashi allows himself to be bested. How'd you do it?" She asked as Kisa thought back to earlier that day.

"Well, after he separated me and Takao from one another he came at me full force. At first it was hard to counter him, but I was able to equally match his attacks with my own and hold him off, at least until he became more serious."

"He used the Sharingan, huh?" She asked, to which Kisa nodded.

"Yes. It was my first time encountering a dojutsu user and it quickly became apparent that not only was he extremely dangerous but that all other techniques except my kekkei genkai were virtually useless, forcing me to rely on my ice alone, and even then he put up a fearsome defense." The girl replied as Tsunade's grin grew wider. She had instructed Kakashi to do everything in his power to push her to her limits and from what it sounded like he had done just that.

"So how'd you counter? Did you have to use your mark?" Tsunade asked as she leaned forward to keep her inquiry hidden from Shizune, bringing Kisa to nod as she adjusted herself to get a bit more comfortable. She knew that this question was coming, she was just unaware of when.

Ever since she was released for light duty Shizune had been keeping an eye on her closely, acting as a constant voice against the use of her curse mark regardless of the work the Hokage had been doing with her to help safely facilitate its use, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset her by talking about it.

"I did, yes. Given Master Kakashi's abilities I had little choice but to do so. Knowing that he would simply copy or completely avoid any attack I could muster I allowed my mark to activate and drew a large amount of water out of the nearby stream and attempted to use a water dragon on him. He did the same in order to cancel out my own, resulting in the clearing we were in flooding with a few inches of water."

"Once the water hit his feet I immediately began to rapidly freeze the ground around him while summoning large ice spikes and barricades, all of which forced him to evade nearly non-stop. Even though he couldn't copy my kekkei genkai he was still able to dodge the attacks efficiently, but he was unaware that I was able to teleport myself through the ice, allowing me to emerge right on top of him."

Listening to Kisa tell her story the Hokage couldn't help but grin at the thought of her forcing Kakashi to remain on the defensive.

"And that's how you got the bell, huh?" She asked, though much to her surprise the girl shook her head.

"No, he tried to run so I had no choice but to reach out and encase him ice. Then I got it." She said, instantly bringing the Hokage to laugh as she looked at the bell in her hands and shook her head.

"Being one of the few people I know I can trust to adequately and carefully subdue you should you have lost control I instructed Kakashi to purposely push you to your limits in order to test your use of the mark, and from what I've heard from both of you it went as well as I had hoped." Tsunade replied as she held the bell back out for Kisa to take.

"Here. The bell test is something that Kakashi does with all of his students, dating back to Kakashi's own time as a student under the Fourth Hokage. Not everyone who has taken the test has passed, so be proud." She added as the girl reached forward and returned the bell back to her hands with a sheepish grin.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade." Kisa replied as Tsunade nodded and began to turn her attention back to Shizune and Takao's argument, though before she could do so Kisa spoke again.

"Lady Tsunade… if possible, me and Takao would like to be part of a team investigating the Akatsuki reports." She stated with a brief pause, catching the Hokage a bit off guard. They were just cleared to start operating on their own a few hours before, were they really ready for such a task?

"That certainly is a big jump from restricted duty. What would make you request such an assignment?" Tsunade asked as Kisa hands subconsciously tightened around the bell.

"The people here in the Hidden Leaf has been so kind to us, you and Shizune included, and we just want to do our part; to help our new home." Kisa added as Tsunade continued to stare at her, taking a few seconds to think it over before eventually shaking her head with a kind smile, much to Kisa's silent displeasure.

"While I admire your ambition and desire to serve, I don't think that you and Takao are ready for that just yet. The Akatsuki are some of the most dangerous criminals mankind has ever produced and while I trust in you and Takao I cannot bring myself to throw you into the fire just yet." She replied as Kisa's eyes lowered to the table between them in defeat with a subtle nod.

Watching the girl's spirits dissipate, the Hokage formed a small, compassionate smile and sat back a bit in her seat.

"Don't worry. Like Shizune hinted at before there are plenty of other important missions that need to be carried out, and I certainly don't plan on using you and Takao to run letters back and forth to the outlying villages." She stated as Kisa's vision returned to her for a moment before once again looking down, doing her best to hold in her immense disappointment.

Even though Tsunade had reassured her that she and Takao's talents would not be wasted she could help but be disheartened by the denial of her request. Helping investigate and hunt down the Akatsuki wasn't just a mission, it was to be her best effort to repay the village that took her in when even her own home had abandoned her, but more than that it was something else, something far more personal; a chance to look for Akito.

Despite all of her patience and prayers Akito had not yet returned to Konoha, nor had she received any word of his condition. She had been through this once before, back when he returned home to Iwagakure, but unlike then she wasn't even sure if he was alive; a fact that made her sick beyond belief.

However, she refused to lose hope. Something deep inside of her heart was telling her that not only was he alive but that he was out there continuing his search for his cousin, forced to do so by the Tsuchikage. This belief was something she could not prove, but it was the only explanation that she was willing to accept, and if that were the case she needed to be out there too, trying to find the boy she cared so deeply about.

Regardless of how she felt Kisa knew better now than to dispute Tsunade's orders, leading her to simply nod and let out a small, silent sigh.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

Shortly after the conclusion of their dinner Kisa ascended to the top of Hokage Rock, carefully jumping and swinging from the faces in as respectful manner as possible before finally planting her feet atop the Third Hokage's head. Just as Akito had done during his time as a student in Konoha the girl found herself coming to this exact spot nearly every day to try and clear her head, though today the sunset mirrored it's appearance on the night of their date, causing her to form a small smile as her eyes fixated on it's large, orange glow.

It looked just as beautiful it did that night, and although it had been six months since that moment she felt as if she could still feel him beside her; his words replaying over and over in her head. He was so nervous to admit it was a date that he could barely talk, causing his face to turn the darkest shade of red she had ever seen and a timid, embarrassed smile to form that to this day still made her heart flutter.

Yet, this happiness was only temporary and after a little more than a minute or two her smile slowly faded, replaced by a small frown as the reality of Akito's absence once again returned. She could wish he would return all she wanted but the truth was that she didn't know when, or if, she would ever see him again.

This sense of dread only served to feed into her dismay, causing her to sometimes feel beside herself and even partially insane. More than once she swore that she had seen him in the crowd, his face appearing more often than not on days that she felt overburdened, only to have her hopes of being reunited with the boy dashed over and over again.

That didn't stop her from missing him, however. Not a single day went by that she didn't wish he would just show up beside her atop the Third's head telling her he was okay, just as he did when he returned from Iwa. She missed the calm, reassuring sound of his voice and the warm touch of his hand, but most of all she missed the heartwarming smile he always had ready for her when she needed it most.

This all still seemed like a crazy dream. Even though it happened so long ago she still found herself enthralled by the spark that ignited between that night despite her previous lack of interest in anything bordering the romantic, and no matter how hard she tried to suppress her feelings for her own well being nothing seemed to be working; that feeling of love she had come to recognize the night of their accident never truly fading from her mind, driving her desire to find him even further.

She had been fighting the urge to get out there and search for him for quite some time thought she never acted upon it. She'd run away once and was forgiven thanks to Tsunade's mercy; she wouldn't risk doing it again, nor would she want to betray the Hokages trust, but now it was different. They were cleared to pursue missions on their own and it was only a matter of time before she was able to get out there, though she was still unsure how she would face him if they did meet again, let alone what she would say.

Adjusting her footing to move to where she believed she and Akito both were standing on their date, she looked out at the sunset again before taking a deep, calming breath of evening air to try and clear her head once more.

"You were right Akito. It does look the best at sunset." Kisa stated aloud to herself as she reached up and took the necklace around her neck into her hands, trying to feel as close to him as possible. Before the Tsuchikage left to take Akito back to Iwa he instructed her to ensure the necklace was kept safe and that a promise she intended to keep, prompting her to keep it on her neck at all times regardless of what she was doing.

"I just wish you were here with me to see it." The girl added as her eyes grew heavy with the beginning of tears, forcing her to look down and wipe them away with a small sniffle. She couldn't keep crying nor could she continue to sulk around, even in private. She had to keep moving, growing stronger, for all their sakes.

At the same time and not far from Hokage rock, the Hokage took her own deep, calming breath as she sat back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh.

"This is getting really old, really fast. Ridiculous." She stated as she opened a single eye to look down at the paperwork cluttering her desk in disgust while simultaneously trying her hardest to come up with a reason to avoid it altogether, though she knew that was not possible. She had taken a break earlier in the evening to attend Takao and Kisa's celebration with the stipulation that she would return to work for an hour or two to finish up afterwards.

Hearing the Hokage's exasperated sigh, Shizune looked up from her own stack of paperwork and nodded in acknowledgement while forming her own disgruntled grimace.

"Yes, but there isn't anything we can do. Ever since the Akatsuki started moving earlier this year we have been inundated with reports from all across the Land of Fire and surrounding regions. People are afraid, and I can't say I blame them." She replied as Tsunade chuckled sarcastically under her breath and placed her head against her hand, leaning into it for support.

"I would say the same, but half of these reports aren't even about the Akatsuki. Of the cases we've investigated so far nearly ninety percent have been common criminals or other rogue ninja, with only half of the other ten being truly credible as legitimate Akatsuki movement. We are running our teams ragged and still finding nothing, at least not since the incident with Sunagakure and the Kazekage." The Fifth countered as Shizune sighed.

"Seems like won't see them again until they are ready to be seen." Her assistant added before both women's eyes shot to door as a knock echoed through the setting sun-bathed office, prompting Shizune to stand as she instructed whoever was at the door to come in, revealing a lone Leaf shinobi as he did as instructed and stepped inside before immediately bowing out of respect.

"Lord Hokage, Lady Shizune; I apologize for the interruption, but a report just came in from our operatives out west." The shinobi stated as he offered a tan file folder out for Shizune to take, much to the woman's frustration.

"Another one? That's the fifth one today alone." She complained as she took it and opened the file, though as she did so the man shook his head.

"I know ma'am but this one is a high priority, or at least that's what it says. I haven't read the details."

Her interest growing, Tsunade lifted her head up from the palm of her hand and sat forward a bit in her chair.

"High priority? High priority how?" She inquired, shifting her eyes back to Shizune in the process who, by now, had read through the first page of the report.

"It's that man from earlier last month. The one known as Ibaraki." She stated aloud, furthering Tsunade's intrigue as the messenger looked to Shizune in confusion.

"Ibaraki? I've never heard of that name before, is it a member of the Akatsuki?" The curious man asked, bringing Shizune to shake her head.

"That's the thing, we don't know." She replied as Tsunade looked down at the desk in thought, trying to recall the Ibaraki case as best she could. There had been so many reports thrown around their office over the last few weeks that it was hard to recall any single name, though after a second the case in question returned to her mind.

"Last month we received several reports of a suspicious masked man in the northwestern areas of the Land of Fire. According to the information we have on the man, who was reported to have introduced himself as 'Ibaraki', he was attempting to extract information from the local underworld about the Akatsuki, including where he could find their members. We dispatched a team to investigate but their response was delayed due to our intelligence divisions being overwhelmed and by the time they arrived to the locations he was spotted he was long gone." The Fifth stated as she stood up from her chair and walked over to the two while crossing her arms.

"Since then we haven't heard anything so we assumed he had been silenced by the group or gave up whatever he had been up to, but apparently that wasn't the case." She stated as she came to a stop beside her assistant as Shizune's eyes widened at the details she was reading, catching Tsunade's attention.

"What's wrong? What does it say?" She questioned as the woman closed the folder and handed it to her with an uneasy expression.

"It says that two days ago a man matching Ibaraki's description entered Amegakure and attacked the village, killing several dozen people before being forced to retreat by the Ame's shinobi." Shizune replied, peaking Tsunade's interest as she opened the file to read for herself and quickly began to form conclusions and questions of her own.

Given Konoha's rocky relationship with Ame this information wasn't provided by the village authority itself, but according to their team in the field there was significant amounts of evidence gathered from refugees who had fled in the wake of the destruction, leading them to believe that not only had the attack occurred, but that it was indeed Ibaraki who carried it out.

This was particularly disturbing as according to witnesses Ibaraki caused a massive explosion at the base of one of Ame's signature highrises causing it to collapse into the street where it crushed multiple victims, not including those inside at the time; a horrific attack that, should they have caught Ibaraki a month earlier, could have possibly been prevented. This sort of wanton destruction seemed to be right up the Akatsuki's alley as of late and now made finding Ibaraki top priority.

Letting out a deep sigh, Tsunade closed both the folder in her hands as well as her eyes for a brief moment before returning her attention to Shizune.

"Based on this information it seems we have no choice but to add this Ibaraki onto our list of ninja, as well as dispatch a team to investigate. We cannot venture into Ame or the Land of Rain but according to the report he was last seen heading northeast into the Land of Fire, placing it well within our jurisdiction and making it all the more imperative that we find him. We don't want something like this to happen here." She declared, shifting her vision from her assistant to the messenger in front of them.

"Put out a message to all available ninja of appropriate level first thing in the morning; chunin and jonin only. We can't take such a destructive threat lightly, nor can we risk throwing inexperienced ninja to their deaths." She instructed, bringing the man to nod.

"Yes Lord Fifth." He replied before saluting the hokage and exiting the office to do as he was told, leaving Shizune to look to her longtime companion with an uneasy expression. The whole world was changing and with how little they knew about the threats they were facing she couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Sensing the tension in the room as the messenger departed, Tsunade connected eyes with her friend briefly before turning and walking back to her desk. Sitting down, the Hokage then spun her chair to face the setting sun as Shizune walked up behind her and sat down at the edge of the desk.

"How much longer is this going to continue?" She asked aloud, prompting the Fifth to look over her shoulder at the woman before returning her view to the sun and letting out a long, exasperated sigh.

"Who knows. I've lived through conflicts and wars both large and small, dealt with criminals from all across the world, but never before have I seen anything like this. The world is falling apart." She stated as Shizune nodded in silent agreement, though after a moment longer the Hokage sensed her assistant's worry, causing her to speak up again.

"It will get better, it always does... but right now I feel the worst is yet to come. We just need to make sure that we do everything in our power to make sure our people make it through this growing storm." She added, again causing Shizune to nod with a great deal of uncertain yet unwavering determination and commitment to what the Hokage was saying. There really was nothing more that they could do at the moment, so that was what would happen.

Opening her eyes to the gentle sound of birds chirping outside her window, Kisa slowly faded into reality from her dreams and slowly began to stretch, all leading into subtle yawn and sluggish groan. Judging by the sun alone it had to have been nearing nine or so in the morning making it a bit late for her morning routine to be beginning, though given the fact that she had spent most of the night prior silently crying herself to sleep she was not at all surprised that she overslept.

After seeing the sunset from atop the monument she lingered for a while long as she often did in the hope that Akito would magically appear before heading back to the apartment to help Takao clean up his mess, but as she neared home she found herself becoming overwhelmed despite her best efforts to stave off her sadness, leading her to spend much more time than she anticipated away from home.

These short lapses in her fortitude didn't occur nearly as much as they did when Akito was first taken away and she was grateful for that, but sometimes she found herself unable to resist, causing her to just give in to her emotion. With everything else going on in the world she couldn't help but feel like a burden when these things happened and the last thing she wanted to do was to get Takao or any of her other friends involved, resulting in her finding safe haven out of sight until she felt composed enough to return to Takao's side.

Yawning once more as the faintest tinge of a tear-induced headache returned to her head, Kisa slowly rolled over onto her left side to face the window and pulled the lightweight cover of her bed closer to her, though as she did so she found herself hearing another noise besides the birds outside; the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching her closed bedroom door.

Still in a daze from her slumber, Kisa attempted to pull herself together just as the door's handle suddenly turned and the solid piece of wood flew open to reveal her roommate who, contrary to Kisa's deshelveled, sleepy appearance, was full dressed for the day.

"Kisa, you up?!" He questioned rapidly in an excited tone as he stepped inside the room, instantly catching a glare from the woman as she instantly sat up in her bed and pulled her blankets up to her chest in an effort to hide herself incase her night shirt had come undone in her sleep.

"What did I tell you about knocking first?! We've known each other for over a decade and you still can't seem to grasp the concept of personal space? What if I wasn't dressed?!" She immediately scolded, though as as her eyes focused on Takao and spotted the anxious, winded expression on his face, her anger subsided marginally.

"What's wrong? Where did you go?" She asked after seeing the sweat running down his face, causing Takao to step a bit closer into the room as he pointed in the general direction of the Hokage's office.

"Lady Tsunade's office. They're assembling shinobi for a mission and it's a good one according to what I heard; a priority investigation into one of those suspicious persons reports. We should go!" He responded, causing Kisa's eyes to grow a bit wider. An investigation? Was this related to the Akatsuki reports that they had spoken about just the night before? Had something happened overnight?

"An investigation… Takao, Lady Tsunade said she doesn't want us to go out in search of the Akatsuki just yet." She replied, to which Takao immediately shook his head.

"That's just it, it's not the Akatsuki. Well, not for certain, but we should try for it! Maybe the Hokage will make an exception for us!" He stated excitedly, leaving Kisa to look down in thought. Would she really let them join in on this mission?

Even if the target wasn't the Akatsuki this would not only be an excellent chance to prove themselves to Tsunade and the rest of Konoha, but also the first chance she would have to possibly find Akito; if this target was worrisome enough for Konoha to view as a threat so would the other villages, and if that were the case then maybe, just maybe, Akito might be out there investigating too.

"Well?" Takao questioned after a few moments of silence passed, bringing Kisa to look back to him, stare without a word for a few more seconds and then finally nod, instantly causing Takao's grin to spread ear to ear.

"Alright! Well hurry up and get dressed then, I don't want to miss out on this mission because you decided to have a lazy morning!" He exclaimed as he turned and left the room in nearly as quickly as he came in, shutting the door behind himself and leaving Kisa alone once again as she nervously took a deep breath, clasped Akito's necklace tight once more and began to get ready. They had to convince Tsunade to let them go.


	22. Chapter 22: The Mission

Having hurried to get dressed following her abrupt awakening, Kisa closely followed behind her friend as he rushed the short distance through Konoha's crowded streets towards the Hokage's office, trying her hardest not to show just how anxious about their plea she was feeling. Ever since he burst through her door her heart had been racing with excitement and uncertainty; something that Takao's run wasn't helping.

"Wait up Takao!" She instructed as she jumped up and over a group of villagers in an effort to remain on his tail with a loud huff of annoyance, bringing Takao to look back at her and grin.

"No, you need to keep up! There was already a line waiting at Tsunade's door when I came to get you, so we have no time to dilly-dally!" The man replied, to which Kisa silently grunted. When they had dinner with the Hokage the night before there had been no mention of this mission, leading her to believe it must have come up at some point during the night. Could that many people really have heard of the assignment already?

It couldn't be. If a lot of shinobi were interested in the mission it meant that Tsunade had much more talent to pull from, significantly lowering their chances of being accepted for the task.

Holding any further complaints, Kisa continued to follow Takao until the two arrived at the base of the Hokage's office a few moments. Coming to a stop to catch her breath after their short yet swift sprint, Kisa looked up at the small tower and swallowed nervously as Takao grabbed the door to step inside and turned back to her.

"You ready?" He asked, holding their stare for a moment or two until the girl agreed, at which point he promptly opened the door to allow the two to step inside where almost instantaneously they were greeted by a line of Leaf shinobi extending all the way from the front door up the stairs that ascended to Tsunade's office, immediately causing the two of them to react with a hint of dismay.

"Oh man, look at all of the people!" Takao complained out loud, catching some of their fellow ninja's eyes in the process as Kisa grabbed his arm and calmly pulled him to the back of the line behind everyone else. She too was a bit discouraged by the sight of so many interested volunteers but she knew better than to make a stink about it. They were both quite new to the Hidden Leaf's ranks and many of their fellow shinobi were still hesitant to trust them, so the last thing they needed was to make a scene.

"Lady Tsunade will pick who she feels best for the mission after she had seen all those who were interested. We just have to wait for our turn." She advised despite her own hesitation as Takao sighed and reluctantly nodded.

"Yeah, I know, I know." He replied, eyeing up several of the other shinobi in line as he did so. He had seen some of them around the village before, some more than others, though no single name stood out amongst the crowd. However, what did stand out was their appearances, each giving a clue as to what their specialty as a ninja may be. Some of them wore only the traditional Konoha attire suggesting an all-rounder of sorts while others were covered in weapons, some of which were oversized just like his own. To counter this there were some who wore little armor or equipment, hinting towards ethier expertise in ninjutsu or simply taijutsu itself, offering the Hokage with a large pool of talent to pull from.

Kisa too had taken notice to the largely diverse selection of shinobi who were their to stake their claim as part of the mission at hand Like Takao there were some faces she recognized from town, some of which belong to those who she knew the name of but had never held a conversation with, though that changed after nearly a half hour passed as a young shinobi with short pink hair emerged from the office door at the top of the steps and began to descend.

"Sakura?" The woman questioned as she spotted the girl approaching them, bringing the young woman to smile and wave.

"Hey Kisa, Takao. Are you two here to apply for Lady Tsunade's mission request as well?" She asked as Kisa nodded. Over the past few months she had grown to know Sakura through Tsunade, the former of which having been the Hokage's student and now a close assistant, and being a medically trained shinobi like herself allowed them to rapidly form a unique friendship.

"Yes ma'am, along with the rest of the village." Takao replied as Sakura's own eyes to widen a bit in surprise.

"Only a day off of light duty and you're already looking to go out on some more difficult assignments?" The girl asked as Takao's smile swiftly widened.

"Of course we are! I hate just sitting around doing nothing, but I certainly don't want to keep delivering messages to the satellite stations for the rest of my life." He responded, causing Sakura to laugh lightly before turning toward Kisa, who she could tell was preparing to ask her a question.

"We were with Lady Tsunade last night around dinner time and she didn't mention any kind of assignment, has something happened? " She questioned in a quiet tone to prevent attention from the others, causing Sakura to tilt her toward the top of the stairs as her smile retracted.

"Yes, but not here. Someone attacked Amegakure a few days ago leaving many dead." Sakura responded just as quietly as Takao raised an eyebrow in thought.

"Amegakure? Huh, with how secretive and secluded they are from the rest of the world I'm surprised they asked for help." He replied with a scoff, to which Sakura shook her head.

"They didn't, but the man who attacked their village was last seen heading east into the Land of Fire, making this a problem that the Hidden Leaf can't ignore. If this is Akatsuki related this man can't be allowed to roam freely around in the Land of Fire, not after what they did in Sunagakure." The pink-haired girl replied as Kisa stared into her eyes.

She'd known that Sakura was part of the team that responded to the Akatsuki's attack on Suna and during the short time the two of them had been friends she had heard bits and pieces of her journey. This included her successful altercation with the well-known and now deceased Sasori of the Red Sand and his partner, Deidara. From how she described him it appeared that both he and Akito's personalities were far from similar, and that unlike Akito, Deidara appeared cold, heartless and quite self-centered.

It was from this conversation as well that Kisa first heard of the smallest shred of the Akatsuki's motives; capturing the world's jinchuriki and extracting the tailed beasts from them. Before Sakura shared her story she knew that the Akatsuki had captured the Kazekage and attempted to kill him as did most other shinobi across the Hidden Mist, but after hearing it was all in an effort to get at the One-Tailed tailed beast, she couldn't help but grow concerned.

In the past the tailed beasts had been used as weapons; unleashed at strategic times to cause havoc or harnessed by their controlling villages inside of a host to create an extremely powerful and dangerous shinobi, but with the Akatsuki it didn't make sense. What would they do with a tailed beast? Did they plan to seal them within themselves to harness their power, and if not, where were they keeping them?

"I'd say that's a priority alright." Takao replied as he interrupted Kisa's thoughts, bringing her to look at him for a moment and then back to Sakura.

"Did you volunteer for the mission as well?" She asked although much to her surprise the girl shook her head.

"No, not this one. I've got some things here in the village I need to attend to, so Tsunade thought it would be best if I sat this one out." Sakura replied before looking to the bottom of the stairs and then back to Kisa and Takao with a small frown.

"Speaking of which, I really must be going. Good luck you two." She added, flipping her smile into a cheerful grin before finishing her descent down and out of the office, leaving the two staring at one another before silently yet anxiously continuing to wait their turn.

After yet another half hour of waiting passed by the time finally came for the two former Mist ninja to plead their case. With some nervous hesitation, Takao reached out and took the door handle at the top of the stairs in his hand and looked back to Kisa who upon catching his gaze slowly nodded, prompting him to turn the knob, open the door and instantly bring both Tsunade and Shizune's eyes to widen and smiles to form on their faces.

"I knew it was only going to be a matter of time before they showed up." The latter stated as Takao closed the door behind him and joined Kisa as she bowed in respect before motioned to stand up straight by the Hokage.

"So you've heard, have you?" The Fifth questioned, bringing the two to look at her and nod.

"Yes Lady Tsunade." Kisa replied as Takao grinned.

"I knew something was up when I got here this morning and spotted the line forming at your door. Once I saw that I immediately rushed back home and grabbed sleepy here." He stated, instantly catching a slight hint of annoyance from the side of Kisa's eyes as Tsunade laughed.

"To be fair neither of you knew this was coming, so I don't blame you for trying to get as much sleep as you can." Tsunade replied, unaware of the real reason she was so tired though Kisa simply nodded as Tsunade put her hands together and placed them on her lap.

"So I'm sure by now the two of you have already heard all about this assignment, am I right?" She questioned, causing Kisa to shake her head despite understanding the mission's core objective. Lady Tsunade had already told her that they would not be permitted to go out on any Akatsuki related assignments, so the last thing she wanted was for her to assume they knew that this could possibly involve the nefarious organization and still proceeded to ask anyway.

"No, just some loose details about an incident in the northwestern-most parts of the Land of Fire." She stated, though as she did so Takao almost immediately ruined her plans.

"Well I mean, we heard from Sakura that a man attacked Amegakure and that he was last seen heading this way. She also mentioned that it didn't seem outwardly apparent that this man with the Akatsuki, but that his allegiance wasn't clear." He interjected, causing Kisa to glare at him and let out a sharp gasp.

"Takao." She grunted under her breath in irritation as the boy shrugged and looked at her in surprise, unsure what he had done.

"What, we did!" He replied, connecting his eyes to Kisa's as her death-glare remained. How could he be so stupid, didn't he understand what she was trying to do?!

Seeing the two's exchange, the Fifth Hokage grinned and chuckled under her breath before closing her eyes, though after a moment her smile slowly faded.

"So you do know then. Didn't we just have a conversation about this last night, Kisa? About not wanting you two to participate in these Akatsuki-hunt missions?" She questioned, bringing Kisa to bite her lip nervously as her heartbeat steadily increased.

"I know, but w-we… we didn't know what the mission entailed until just a little while ago when we got here." Kisa responded sheepishly, nervously swallowing in the process. She couldn't quite tell if Tsunade was upset or not, forcing her to tread lightly while also fighting to keep herself from backing down as Tsunade's eyes remained focused on her.

"But even knowing that the Akatsuki could be involved you decided to apply anyway." She stated, to which Kisa nodded, causing the Hokage to sigh.

"I once more have to admit that your eagerness to serve impresses me, but I fear this mission is far too dangerous for your first assignment on your own." Tsunade added, causing Kisa to grunt in displeasure as she prepared her rebuttal.

"B-But Lady Tsunade, your said that we were free to take on any missions we wanted so long as they were not Akatsuki related. We don't know for certain that this has anything to do with them, and that is why Takao and I still want to be part of this mission." She responded, forcing the Hokage's hands up to her mouth as she took a deep breath to gather her thoughts and formulate them into words that did not involve angered expressions.

"That's just it Kisa, that's the point; we _don't_ know whether or not the Akatsuki is behind this. When this man was first brought to our attention a month ago he was nothing more than a suspicious person, but now he is far past that. His physical appearance and tactics do not match that of the Akatsuki as every encounter we've had with the group has been with pairs of them in distinct identifying attire, but at the same time the level of violence and raw destruction caused at this man's hands can not be taken lightly." Tsunade responded as Kisa bit the inside of her lip, trying to judge what she should do.

Ever since the incident in the woods she had become as loyal and subservient as she could possibly allow herself to be, taking on a habit of letting things lie rather than arguing for what she believed was right, but she couldn't just back down now. Even if this person wasn't with the Akatsuki there was a chance that Akito was out there after him too, especially given how close to the Land of Earth this all took place.

Having remained silent up until this point as he watched Kisa do all the talking, Takao quietly took a thought-gathering breath and opened his mouth to assist his partner in her plea.

"Not to sound like a smartass, but I feel like you may be underestimating our abilities, Lady Tsunade." He stated, catching a brief glimpse of concern from Kisa's eyes though he managed to calm her with a reassuring grin and wink, all as the Hokage watched on.

"Oh?" She asked, to which Takao nodded.

"Yeah, I mean… before all of this happened we faced plenty of dangerous enemies. At one point in time Kisa, Jun and I were accepting contracts ranging all the way from simple genin-level deliveries to A-Rank fugitive recovery missions. We've fought with and held our own against everything from your average scumbags to organized crime rings. Hell, we even fought Orochimaru and came out mostly unscathed. That has to account for something." He stated as all eyes remained locked to him, though the Hokage's were rather unwavered unlike both Kisa and Shizune.

"It does, but past experiences don't always guarantee success in the future. Orochimaru is nowhere near as powerful as he once was and while I unfortunately never had the pleasure of meeting Jun, I have no doubt that much of your strength during those assignments came from your close knitted and longstanding teamwork." The Fifth responded as Kisa, who had looked down at the floor at the mention of Jun's name, bit her lip.

Although Jun had been gone from their lives for nearly eight months she often found herself thinking about him, causing what the Hokage was saying to hit home. She was right to assume that they were a tight knit team as in her opinion there was no other team in Kiri closer than the three of them, and although it hurt her cause to admit it there were several occasions on the top of her head that she could recall were only victorious because of Jun's abilities, causing her to frown.

Seeing this and knowing her dismay was in reaction to the Hokage's comments on Jun as he too felt a tinge of sadness in their wake, Takao took a deep breath and returned his attention to the Hokage. He too missed Jun and knew that many of their career's successes were because of his arrogant self, but that didn't mean that they weren't capable of carrying out this mission, especially if they were to be paired with others.

"Even still, all I'm asking is that you at least consider us for the mission. Kisa and I are both ready and willing to do our part, and with Kisa's skills as a medical ninja I'm sure she would be invaluable to any team she's attached to." He concluded, bringing on a short period of tense silence before Tsunade tilted her head to the side and looked between the two of them for a moment.

Unlike Kisa it wasn't often that Takao challenged her ruling, so to hear that he too wanted to be dispatched on this mission quite badly. Why were these two so anxious to get out there? Did they really want to prove their fealty that badly or was it something else? Every bit of her was telling her to say no, but yet there was something else inside of her urging her to at least think about it, leaning her to simply nod with a sigh instead.

"Fine. Because Takao made a good point about your skills as ninja I will keep you two in mind for the mission, but I'm not making any promises." She added, causing Kisa's eyes to widen and Takao to show a small grin across his lips. She was going to consider them for the mission after all? Was she being serious?

"Right on. That's all we wanted." He responded as he looked to Kisa who subtly smiled in gratitude for his assistance before looking back to the Hokage and humbly bowing.

"Thank you Lady Tsunade." She stated as the Hokage pulled her hands back up to her mouth to hide the small, amused smile that had formed.

"Don't thank me, at least not yet." The Fifth replied before looking over her previously silent advisor, questioning without words if there were more shinobi waiting to be interviewed which in turn brought the woman to nod as she turned back to the group.

"We've got several more people interested in the mission so we have to continue with the interviews, but a decision should be reached within a few hours. Why don't you two carry on with your day and we will send for you when we've reached a decision. I'm sure you could use a day off Takao." Shizune recommended as both ninja nodded and turned to exit the room, not wanting to hog any more of the Hokage's precious time.

However, as they began to walk towards the office entrance Takao's grin widened as he stopped in his tracks, pointed his finger towards Kisa and turned back towards the Hokage and her assistant.

"Oh, just keep in mind that we are a packaged deal. If Kisa's going, so am I." He stated in a joking manner, bringing Shizune to sigh and the Hokage to form a miniscule grin.

"Takao." Tsunade warned as the man chuckled and turned back to the door, knowing better than to push his luck any further than he already had.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Doing as they were instructed as hard as that was, the two shinobi made their way out into the streets of Konoha to take a short walk. Both knew that their chances of being accepted for the mission were still slim with how many other ninja applied to be a part of it, causing both of them to become rather anxious and leaving Kisa to believe a relaxing, mind-clearing stroll would be best.

It was still early enough in the day where the temperature was comfortable to walk around without melting while still allowing them to enjoy the sunshine, leading them to set out to find something to eat since neither of them had yet to do so that morning.

Waiting for Takao to finish the topic he had been speaking about, Kisa's eyes locked themselves to her large companion hesitantly. His assistance during their meeting with the Hokage was unexpected yet highly appreciated and although she was appreciated it she was a bit hesitant in thanking him, all because she was unsure how he had interpreted her insistence in being part of the mission.

"Thank you for helping me back there." She stated softly as she continued to look up at him, causing Takao, who had been holding both of his hands behind his head as he stretched in the sun's subtle warmth, to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hmm? Well I certainly wasn't going to let you speak up for both of us without offering a hand. Not to brag, but I think if I would have remained silent we would be on our way back home in defeat."

"Absolutely. At least now we have a chance to be picked up for the assignment." She responded as she looked back down to the road in front of her for any sign of a restaurant serving breakfast, to which he nodded and stared at her blue eyes for a moment before chuckling to himself and looked up at the cloud-dotted sky above.

This chuckle did not go unnoticed however, prompting her to return her gaze to him as she raised a brow in question of what he was laughing about.

"Hmm?" She inquired, catching a brief glance from the corner of his eye as he lowered his left arm and placed it on his hip in thought.

"Oh, nothing. I guess I'm just wondering why exactly you want to go on this mission so badly."

Hearing his reply, Kisa continued her gaze as her head tilted a little further out of curiosity herself.

"What do you mean? I want to help the village. Things are getting worse and our new home is in danger." She stated, though after witnessing Takao simply shrugging and letting out another silenced chuckle she couldn't help but become a bit irritated.

"Why are you laughing? If you think my reason is so funny tell me why _you_ want to go then." She asked as he laughed again.

"Uh, the money. Sure, I want to help the village, and there are plenty of other missions we could have done to do so, but this one… god. With the money this mission would bring us we would be set for years, especially if we managed to bag this high profile criminal alive." Takao replied almost instantly, bringing their sight together once more as he formed a sly grin.

"I don't find your desire to help the village funny. In fact, I find it quite noble and reassuring in the fact that Kiri truly messed up getting rid of two excellent shinobi like us. I just strongly believe you've got something else on your mind… or should I say _someone_ else." He added, causing Kisa's eyes to grow a bit wider for a second before she could look away to avoid what she perceived as judgement and rubbed her arm nervously.

Takao was plenty capable of acting stupid at times, but time and time again he proved that he was indeed much smarter than he first appeared. She had been caught without ever having to so much as say a word, and given how well they knew one another there was little use denying what she knew he understood. It didn't take a Kage to know that she was still hurting deep because of her separation from Akito and as such he had assumed the boy had something to do with this all along, though his compassion for his best friend kept him from pushing the issue any further down the path of annoyance.

Instead, Takao took a short brief in chatter to take nice breath of humid morning air as he collected his thoughts and formulated them into something more akin to the role he had played quite often over the past few months.

"How have you been holding up, anyway? It's been about three weeks since we last talked about this, about him... you still okay?" He questioned, again catching Kisa's attention briefly before she again looked away and let out a small sigh.

"I'm getting by." She responded while thinking over the last few months and trying to filter out anything that might be worrisome to Takao. So much of what she was secretly trying to achieve by going on this mission was constantly sounding in her head as rather selfish, so the last thing she wanted to do was make him worry when it could be avoided.

"Well that's good. I know you miss him, I do too, but you have to just keep your head held high and remember that you'll see him soon 'cuz I'm sure he's missing you just as badly. Plus, he still owes me a rematch." Takao replied with a grin, though Kisa didn't find his words as easy to believe as he may have hoped. The last he saw of her was her rage-driven attempt on his life… how could he be eager to see someone who tried to kill him?

"I don't think that's true, Takao. After everything I did, after all the trouble I caused, after the pain I put him through… I doubt he wants to ever see me again." She sadly responded as Takao scoffed.

"Please, just because I am the ultimate lady killer doesn't mean I am blind to simpler human emotions such as compassion or affection, and I can tell you the last thing that Akito wants is to never see you again." Takao replied jokingly, once again catching her eye for a moment as his smile widened.

"So was I right? Does this have something to do with Akito?" He questioned, to which the kunoichi slowly nodded as she looked down in shame; embarrassed by how foolish her wishful thinking must sound, though Takao didn't seem to think so.

"You think he's out there after this guy too? Is that where he's been this whole time?" The man followed up curiously, causing her again to look into his eyes for a moment before shaking her head in uncertainty.

"I… I don't know. Ever since the incident with Kiri I've been holding my breath, hoping that Akito would just show up here out of the blue... but so far that hasn't happened. In all honesty I don't know if he's even alive. My heart tells me yes, but nobody's heard from him or Iwa about his condition. We don't know if he ever came out of his coma or if he's still in it because of what I did… and that's killing me." She responded in a disheartened tone as Takao shook his head.

"Stop. You know as well as I do that it would take more than that to Akito out, and if he hasn't returned to Konoha yet, and he really is out there looking for them, I'm sure he has a good reason why he hasn't stopped to see us." The man replied to reassure her as she slowly nodded in agreement.

"I know, and it's because of that I've been fighting the urge to go out there to find him myself. I have this strange feeling that Akito's out there by himself, still looking for his cousin or any traces of the Akatsuki connected to him… that's why I've been trying so hard to be assigned to the Akatsuki assignments, as selfish as that sounds."

Having finally heard the truth, Takao slowly shook his head at her confession.

"I don't think that's selfish, Kis. You care about him and you're worried about his safety. I'm worried about him too, though admittedly not as deeply as you." He joked as the girl's eyes remained locked to the road beneath them as they continued to walk despite the fact that her cheeks involuntarily darkened to a light shade of red.

"I just thought that maybe if he actually is out there I might run into him and that I… that I would finally get a chance to apologize for everything I've done." She continued as the man beside her stared at her for a moment.

"Akito doesn't want or need an apology, Kisa. I'm sure that just knowing that you came out of that horrible situation safe is enough for him… but, I guess this gives us all the more reason to get on that mission, hmm?" Takao question in response, bringing Kisa to look towards him just as his own eyes grew with the appearance of a place he felt would be suitable for their breakfast.

"There!" He exclaimed as he pointed to the restaurant with a large sign of eggs and rice hanging above it's front door in the distance, cutting off the girl as she prepared to reply, though to her that was fine. Talking about Akito was causing her emotions to flare up and the last thing she wanted to do was seem a mess in front of the Hokage when they returned to hear her verdict.

"Alright, let's go." Kisa responded as Takao stepped forward ahead of her towards the restaurant, only to turn and look back at her after a short second with a grin.

"And don't worry, I won't say a word to Lady Tsunade about the real reason you want to go on this mission. It will be our secret." He said with a smile as Kisa formed her own small grin as she nodded her head in appreciate before silently following behind her starving companion into the restaurant, although just as she was about to step foot inside something caught her eye; a man standing on the rooftop across the street staring at them.

"Wait." The girl muttered as she turned to face the figure, trying her hardest to make out his features amidst the almost blinding early-morning sun. She could see he was wearing the traditional Konoha shinobi uniform as well as blue bandana forehead protector and she could also see he had shoulder-length bangs framing each side of his face, but before she could make out his full facial appearance the man quickly disappeared back into the village, leaving her staring up at nothing as Takao turned to see what it was she had seen.

"What? What was it?" He questioned, at which Kisa turned to him then back to the rooftop. Even though they had been part of Konoha's populace for several months now it was not uncommon for them to spot curious eyes lingering on them, especially those in the shinobi community who knew of their true origin, leaving her with little but a slight bit of curiosity as she sighed and turned back into the restaurant.

"It's nothing. Let's eat." She stated, causing Takao's grin to return.

"Sweeeeet."

Following their breakfast and a short bout of browsing the street shops around town, both Kisa and Takao returned to the lobby on the ground floor of the Hokage's office to await news of Lady Tsunade's decision. It was only a little past noon at the time of their arrival, but with so much at stake both members of the duo found it hard to focus on anything but the pending mission.

This feeling of impatience was apparently not only reserved for them however, as around the large, round room were several other ninja who found themselves unable to go home, some of whom had been sitting there for the duration of the day.

After sitting until almost three or so and having won his eighth round of cards against one of the other Konoha shinobi waiting to hear if he had been selected for the assignment, a young man about his age with dark black hair tied back behind his head into a short ponytail, Takao stood up from the table he was at and stretched before pulling the few coins he had won through their bet towards him.

"Looks like I won again, boyo. You obviously are not the best at chip games, eh?" He taunted harmlessly, causing the man to sigh as he sat back in his chair and placed both of his hands behind his head in frustration.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just hurry up and deal the next hand. They could be coming to get us any minute now and I need to win my money back." He argued as Takao laughed under his breath and sat back down.

"Alright, alright, keep 'yer shirt on." He replied as he grabbed the deck of cards, shuffled it and began to distribute it once more, all while eyeing up Kisa as she sat alone on a couch in the distance; her hand subconsciously gripping what he knew was Akito's necklace underneath her shirt. As the day progressed he had watched her anxiety continuously grow and her talkative mood diminish as was her usual, though he was doing his best to keep her out of it as defined by his responsibilities as her friend.

"Remember that time Jun gambled away all of our earnings at that illegal street casino before he could get them to us?" He questioned aloud while readjusting the toothpick he had been chewing on in his mouth and upping the ante at stake, causing Kisa's eyes to look up at him.

"Yeah, I do." She responded fully knowing his intentions to take her mind off everything they had talked about earlier as Takao laughed to himself and pulled his next card.

"We had to convince the guy who won that two thirds of that money wasn't his to gamble, which at first the man didn't believe, but… we convinced him otherwise." He added, bringing his opponent to look up at him to see if this was meant to be some sort of foreshadowing as Kisa continued to stare at Takao, forming a small grin in the process at the memory of that day.

"Hmm. That was the day we decided that Jun was no longer allowed to collect our bounties alone." The girl replied with a small, silent laugh, causing Takao to chuckle once again and shake his head.

"Yeah, and we made sure the guy he lost to kept his portion. He was so mad, but rules are rules." Takao said as his opponent played his hand with the intent of winning.

"Well it's only right. Even if you managed to get your cuts back, this partner of yours rightfully forfeited his own." He stated as Takao looked at the hand that had been played and nodded with a facial expression showing that it was indeed a respectable move.

"It was indeed the right thing to do. We tend to abide by doing the right thing… just like this." He responded before placing his own hand on the table, yet again winning the game and the bet for himself as his opponents let out an exasperated groan of annoyance.

"Are you kidding me?!" He growled as Takao clapped and then rubbed his hands together victoriously.

"That's right! Give 'em here!" He exclaimed as Kisa shook her head, though just as he pulled the winnings towards his pile the door at the top of the stairs opened, followed shortly behind by footsteps heading straight towards them.

Knowing the sound of those footsteps well, Kisa's eyes immediately widened as she sat straight up at attention with the others in the room before being graced by Shizune's caring smile as she came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and looked around at those who had been waiting, causing Kisa's heart to race as fast as it possibly could. This was the moment they had been waiting for; they were finally going to know.

"Alright everyone, Lady Tsunade has made her decision." She stated as she locked eyes with the nervous black-haired girl with a smile before looking down at her list to see if the names indicated below were present in the room or if they had gone about their business.

"Tamiko Aburame, are you here?" She questioned out loud as a hooded woman wearing a long trench-coat like cloak stood up and put her hands in his pockets, bringing Kisa to shift her attention to the girl. She had taken notice to the shinobi earlier in the day, sitting by herself without a word at the far corner of the room, though until now she had been completely unaware of her status as a member of one of Konoha's Aburame clan.

"Yes." She replied in a monotone voice as she stepped forward towards her, beckoning Shizune to smile and nod before looking back out into the room as she read the next name on the list, once more causing Kisa to hold her breath.

"Koji Nara?" She questioned as the man sitting across the table from Takao snickered and stood up.

"Sure am. It's about time you came down, the climate here was just starting to get a bit stale." The man stated as he looked down at Takao with a sarcastic smirk reciprocated by the former in earnest.

"Sore loser." He uttered with a chuckle under his breath as Tsunade placed the clipboard in her hand back at her side, causing Kisa's heart to sink into her stomach. What was it? Why wasn't she calling any more names? Surely he couldn't have been the only one in this room to be picked, could he?

Swallowing nervously, Kisa again tightly grabbed the necklace around her neck as her mind slowly began to come to terms with the disheartening reality that she would not be going on the mission after all, though just as her attention fell to the floor in defeat Shizune turned her attention to the girl.

"Kisa." She stated, instantaneously bringing the girl's eyes to dart up to her own, meeting with the warm, caring smile that Shizune had prepared as she let out a small laugh at Kisa's reserved nature.

"You're next up." The Hokage's assistant stated, causing Kisa to jump to her feet without delay, her eyes wide with both relief and excitement. She couldn't believe it; Lady Tsunade really chose her to be part of the team, even after her annoyance at their application earlier? Could this really be the case?

Not wanting to wait any longer Kisa quickly walked towards Shizune and the other two shinobi selected for the mission while trying to hide the uncontrollable smile expression of relief and happiness on her face.

"Yes ma'am." She said as she came to a stop by Shizune's side and looked back towards Takao who, upon being left standing amongst the other rejected shinobi, held his hands out in annoyance.

"Ey, what about me?!" He barked as Shizune's face grew exasperated and deadpan.

"I was getting there, but you're too impatient to wait fifteen seconds." She stated in annoyance as the man's grin returned and too quickly made his way to Shizune's size with an almost child-like giggle before stopping beside Kisa and leaning on her shoulder with his elbow.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked as he stared into Shizune's glare long enough that she simply sighed and motioned with her head back towards the stairs.

"The rest of you, thank you for your interest but the positions have been filled. Be safe out there." She stated before turning and guiding the four shinobi up the stairs to Tsunade's office.

Stepping in the Hokage's office the group came face to face with Lady Tsunade herself once again, this time after having passed her selection and prepared to receive the mission's full briefing. Filling into a line before the large wooden desk, the five selected shinobi stood by one another's side in silence as they waited for Shizune to shut the door so that the Hokage could speak.

"Welcome back everyone. As you can probably guess I have chosen the four of you for the task. I apologize, but with the extremely dangerous environment we find ourselves walking into with these reports I had to make sure I was creating a team I knew I could trust to not only get the job done, but return safely when it was all over." She began as the door latched closed, eyeing up the range of talent in the room as she did so.

"Many of you know some of the details, but I think it's time you understand just what it is you will be investigating. First and foremost, however, I will state that at this time we don't know if this mission is Akatsuki related, so caution must be exercised at all times." Tsunade continued as she placed a tan file folder on the table between herself and her fellow shinobi; the name of the man in question clearly written across it's cover.

"The mission will be to locate, gather information on and, if possible, apprehend a person of interest; a figure known only as 'Ibaraki'. We've known about this presumed man for a month or so now, but until he'd remained low on our priority list until now until a few days ago when he made his way into Amegakure and unleashed an attack on the village, leaving dozens dead, including many civilians, before fleeing the village east toward the Land of Fire." Tsunade stated as the man identified as Koji hummed in thought.

"Attacking a village, huh? After what happened in Suna it sure sounds like the Akatsuki to me, but it doesn't match their motives. As far as we know Ame has no jinchuriki for the Akatsuki to steal, so what would he want there?" He questioned aloud as the Hokage's eyes turned to him to listen intently.

"Not much is known about his motives and even less about his affiliation and abilities, but as you can imagine for one man to take on dozens of shinobi on his own an inflict enough destruction that _we_ hear about it, he must not be taken lightly. Especially if he is wandering around our homeland uncontested." She replied before turning to her right as through the open window a Konoha shinobi appeared and came to a stop beside her.

"Ah, there you are. I was about to send Shizune out looking for you." Tsunade stated as all eyes in the room shifted to the man; his featureless white eyes immediately identifying him as a member of Konoha's most prolific noble clan.

"I'm sorry Lady Tsunade, my preparation took a bit longer than anticipated." He apologized though the Hokage simply smiled and turned her attention back to the shinobi in front of her.

"For those of you that don't already know, this is Tokuma Hyuga. You will all be answering to him directly, as he will be the team leader for this endeavor." She said, instantly causing Koji, who had known Tokuma since childhood, to groan under his breath.

"Tokuma is in charge? Aww man, this is going to be a disaster." He complained sarcastically much to Kisa's surprise, bringing both Tsunade and Tokuma's eyes to narrow on him in annoyance.

"I have the utmost faith that Tokuma is the right choice to lead this mission. He has sound judgment and has had plenty of experience tracking targets with his unique gift, so I request that each of you listen to his instruction as if it were my own and without question." She replied in a stern voice, reluctantly bringing Koji to nod as Kisa's attention again returned to the Hyuga in the room who, much to her surprise, bore a striking resemblance to the man who was watching them earlier in the day.

She couldn't say for certain if this man truly was the one who followed them do to just how far away he had kept himself during his sighting, but everything seemed to match perfectly. His outfit, the bandanna on his head as well as his tied bangs to each side of his face; it was all there, but why? Why would their future team leader be following them around the village? Was he trying to test them, or was it something else?

Turning his attention from his friend to the other shinobi he had been assigned to lead, Tokuma focused brief on Kisa and Takao, moving on to the latter after Kisa's eyes moved away from the embarrassment of having been caught staring.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. As the Hokage has said I will be in charge of this assignment, and despite Koji's doubt, I assure you that I am fully prepared to make sure this mission goes according to plan, is successful and that each of us returned alive." He stated as looked to the Hokage for permission to take over before stepping forward and took the file folder on the table in his hands at the nod of her head.

"By now I'm sure that the Hokage has explained most of the details, so I won't repeat them. We will be heading north to the last known location of this Ibaraki and will begin our search from there. He is reported to be wearing a cloak similar in color to our own flak jackets underneath a unindicative grey set of soft armor, while his face appears to be covered by some sort of hard mask. Sources say the mask resemble a demon of sorts, but we've only received a single report of that and the intelligence department believes that is not accurate." Tokuma continued as Tamiko chimed in.

"I question the validity of any reports coming in from witnesses. Ame is rather secretive and traditionally uncooperative with Konoha, so it is very possible that the refugees could have been instructed to lie to hide what may have really happened there." She stated to which Tsunade nodded in agreement.

"Agreed, but it is all we have, so we will have to take into account anything our operatives were able to find out." She stated, bringing Tokuma to agree as well before looking back down at the papers in hand.

"Now onto the assignments for the mission. Each of you were chosen for a specific reason based off of your skillset, so starting off; Tamiko, you will be assisting me with tracking the target." Tokuma indicated, bringing the woman to nod as Koji grinned, knowing well that his clan's secret restraining techniques were already going to play a key part in his role.

"Let me guess, I'll be responsible for disabling him when we find him, right?" He questioned, to which Tokuma nodded before moving on to Kisa.

"Kisa, you will be our team's medical shinobi." He stated as the girl nodded, though after doing so the man looked back to Tsunade and then to Kisa once more.

"I understand this will be both you and Takao's first official mission as Konoha shinobi, and your first time doing so after a rather traumatic incident, so I feel I must ask; are you confident you will be able to perform your role to the fullest?" He questioned, causing Kisa to bite the inside of her lip, but out of irritation as well as worry.

The importance of a medical-nin in squad tactics was understood universally throughout the shinobi world; it was her responsibility to keep the team alive and fighting when times got tough, and it was also important for them to know that they could count on her if need be. Did he not trust her, or was this purely precautionary?

Swallowing nervously after a brief pause, the girl turned to Takao and with the help of his soft grin and silent confidence drowned her uncertainty and nodded in a sheepish yet confident manner.

"I am. I won't let you down." She replied, bringing Tsunade, who had remained silent to let Kisa speak for herself, smiled.

"Don't worry Tokuma. Kisa is one of the best medical shinobi I have seen in recent years, and I stand by my statement from the spring that Konoha is much better off with her in our fold." The Hokage stated as Shizune nodded, to which Tokuma looked back to Kisa and nodded.

"Alright. I believe both you and the Hokage, so that leaves us with Takao." He stated as the large blonde man grinned from ear to ear.

"It's cause of the swords, right? I figured." Takao chimed as Tokuma tilted his head a bit to the side.

"Strength and combat effectiveness." He responded, bringing Takao to shrug.

"Same difference." The man responded, leading Tokuma to close the file folder, move it to his side and look over the team briefly once again before taking a deep breath.

"Well, that's it then. We will be heading our first thing in the morning, so take the rest of the day to relax and get your affairs in order. This could possibly turn into an extended operation so make sure to pack for such; at least a week's worth of clothing and provisions, and dress warm. It may be summer but the temperature up north could be unpredictable and it looks like rain may be in the forecast." He stated as he motioned for them to dismiss, but not before Tsunade stood up from her seat and folded her hands before her.

"I know all of you will do your best out there, but just remember that no mission is worth your life, nor the lives of your comrades. If Ibaraki proves too difficult to capture, fall back and we will devise another plan. There will always be another day… he will still be out there." She ordered as she looked to Tokuma and then the others before focusing on Kisa with a smile, causing the girl to freeze.

What did that mean? With the way she was looking at her she was almost certain that was directed towards her, but her smile showed more understanding than disappointment. Was it possible she knew about her crazy plan but still agreed to let her go?

Her eyes still connected to the Hokage's, Kisa snapped from her thoughts at Tokuma's final order to dismiss and bowed with the others before following Takao down the steps towards their home; her heart still racing and her mind still ripe with uncertainty, though she had no choice but to force herself to look past it.

Tomorrow was a big day and she needed both rest and a level head, for this was the chance she had been waiting for, and she couldn't risk messing it up. Akito was out there chasing this Ibaraki too, and she was going to find him. She just knew it.


	23. Chapter 23: Fire's Edge

Setting out before the crack of dawn the following morning the group of five Konoha shinobi immediately made their way north-most points of the nation. According to Konoha's intelligence units Ibaraki had originally set off in this direction during his escape and had since been spotted in several villages along the main roadway heading along the Land of Fire's borders, though it was at a significantly sluggish rate for a shinobi, leading doubt to form as to whether or not this man was the same shinobi.

However, with as little information about Ibaraki available as there was, Tokuma determined that their best bet in locating the target was to look ahead, leading them to plot a course to the next major civilian populace; a small, industrialized mining town named Kinzoku Town nearing the Land of Fire's border with the Land of Canyons. Once there they would investigate if Ibaraki had yet passed through, and if not set, an ambush for him just outside the city.

Coming to within an hour's reach of Kinzoku Town following a brisk two day's trek north, the group made camp atop a cliff overlooking one of the large ravines the Land of Canyon's was named for. Hidden almost completely from the world by the forest that surrounds it entire stretch south from the border, the obscure location made their area both easy to hide and hard to access and easy to defend should the man in question discover he was being followed. This proved to be completely precautionary however as under guard of the group's medical ninja, who had offered to take both first and second watch, the group was able to sleep soundly throughout the night with little interruption.

Diverting her gaze from the campfire below where she was perched as she took Akito's necklace in her hands, Kisa adjusted herself to a more comfortable position and let out a small yawn as she readjusted her attention to the clear, early morning sky; the full moon she had watched slowly moved across the stars nearing the mountains to the west as it prepared to set and issue in a new day.

Normally she should have only been responsible for half of the night's watch but with how anxious she was for the following day's investigation she found it impossible to sleep, leading to her to keep lookout rather than wake Takao up for his shift. It was worth it though, as from her position high above the treetops she had the perfect view of the rising sun as it painted the sky red, mimicking the sunset from atop Hokage Rock almost perfectly and casting a great bit of foreshadowing of what was hopefully to come.

With their destination just a short hike away it wouldn't be long before they made their way into its borders to begin their search for Ibaraki and with him hopefully the answers she had been selfishly hoping for. If their target appeared in the mining town it would be the closest point to Iwagakure he had ventured since becoming known after his attack, leading her to assume this to be her best chance at finding Akito and causing the butterflies in her stomach to again take flight despite her best efforts to keep them from doing so.

Ever since leaving Konoha two days before she had been trying to remain both calm and collected in order to avoid showing any kind of weakness or doubt, driven to do so by the sense that showing insecurity to the others in the group may cause them to distrust her; something she could now allow to happen. This mission's success and her chance to be placed on further mission of this significance in the future depended on it, and she wasn't going to screw it all up.

Taking a deep breath she remained focused on the sun for a moment later before averting her eyes to her side, just as the from the branches and leaves below a familiar presence emerged and came to a stop at her side with a brief flicker, causing her to grip a kunai in her pouch. However, as her eyes focused on Tokuma and confirmed that it was indeed who she thought it was, she let out a small sigh and released the grip on her blade in relief.

"I'm back. How's everything here?" He questioned while looking down at the campfire below as Kisa sat back against the trunk of the tree and returned her hands to her lap.

"Everything is fine, not a single peep aside from Koji and Takao constant snore battle." She replied as she too looked back down at the camp. One thing she'd learned about Tokuma over the course of the last few days was that he was extremely cautious to the point of bordering on the paranoid, though it was clear that this behavior was almost entirely because of his vow to do the best that absolutely could and to keep others safe.

"Did you find anything out there?" She asked as she looked back to their leader, who upon turning his eyes to meet hers subtly shook his head.

"Nothing out of the ordinary and no signs of our friend, though it appears we are closer to the town then I originally thought. It's only about a forty minute journey from here to Kinzoku Town, so we should be there by early morning if we get the others up and moving soon." Tokuma replied, instantly bringing Kisa to stand up and brush her legs off to clear any bark that may have become stuck to her from the tree.

"Alright. I will get them up and let them know." She stated as she took a step towards the edge of the large branch, but as she did so Tokuma stepped forward as well to stop her.

"No Kisa that's alright, I will do it. You've been up for a while now on watch and we've got a long day ahead of us. Why don't you shut your eyes for a few minutes?" He stated, causing Kisa to look to him with a tinge of irritation. Sure, she had been up all night, but she had gone a lot longer than a single night without sleep on several occasions and was still quite capable of handling her own. Did he really believe that she couldn't handle being a little tired?

"I'll be alright." She replied, to which Tokuma formed a small, sincere smile on his face.

"I'm sure you are, I just think that since we have the time it wouldn't hurt to grab a few moments of rest." He stated as Kisa, who upon looking into his featureless irises could tell his words came completely from concern rather than condescension, reluctantly nodded.

"Alright. Thank you, Tokuma." She stated, though just as she did so her eyes redirected up to the sky, this time to the mountains leading towards Iwa in the west as a flash of lightning lit up the disappearing darkness of the night.

"Looks like the rain we were warned about a few days ago has finally caught up to us." Kisa added as Tokuma let out a small sigh of disgust at the impending inclement weather.

"This day is about to get a lot longer." He muttered as he looked to the girl, nodded and jumped down to the camp below, leaving the girl to look back at the coming storm with her own short sigh. This was the direct opposite of the good fortune she had hoped was foreshadowed by the bright rising sun, leading her to hope this wasn't a bad omen.

Making their way the village's entrance and coming to a stop just as the storm centered itself overhead, the group looked around with a keen eye. The village was larger than they had originally believed and despite the fact that the rain was beginning to fall at a steady rate it seemed that there were still quite a few residents out and about, adding a positive note to the otherwise challenging day.

"Alright, we are here." Tokuma stated as he turned back towards the group and looked at them individually, each now covering their heads with cloaks to protect them against the cool water raining down.

"It seems like even though it is raining there are still plenty of people who may have witnessed Ibaraki's presence around, so our best option will be to split up and start interviewing the locals to see what they've noticed." He added while reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wireless, neck-style radio.

"We will use our radios to stay in touch. Remember, we don't want to scare anyone, so simple questions about Ibaraki that don't reveal what he's done; appearance and name. See if anyone's seen him, talked to him or maybe even dealt with him as a customer as far as the shopkeepers go." Tokuma continued as he opened up the radio's choker-like attachment, strapped it around his neck before placing the earpiece around his left ear and watched as the others did the same, though his eyes focused on Kisa who carefully adjusted the golden necklace around her neck to ensure that it wouldn't get tangled in the ear piece's cord.

"I will let the local authorities know, and if you do by chance find the man himself nobody is to approach him alone. Call for help and we will all come running. Understood?" He instructed before heading off into the city on his own following his team's acknowledgement, leaving just Kisa and Takao standing at the city gates as the others followed in Tokuma's lead.

"Well, looks like we're spitting up." Takao stated as he tightened the radio's throat-mic around his neck and grinned, catching Kisa's attentive vision in the process.

"Yeah, it does. Be careful out there, okay Takao?" She questioned as the man's smile grew wider.

"Psh, me? Be careful? I'm going to be just fine. But don't worry, I'll make sure to give you a call when I find him." The man replied jokingly before darting off into the crowd as well, leaving Kisa standing alone for a second before she too set off in search of any sign of either of the men she was searching for; a task that proved to be rather challenging despite the sheer amount of Kinzoku Town residents and visitors out and about in the storm.

With everything that had been happening in recent months since the attack on Sunagakure she knew that seeing Konoha-nin scouring their otherwise shinobiless town would likely cause a great deal of anxiety amidst the mostly miner population, but she never imagined that people would be so concerned that they would be unwilling to assist in the hunt for what could be what they were afraid of, and even when they did find someone willing to cooperate they offered little if any information regarding Ibaraki.

For nearly four hours the group searched the town for any sign of their prey to no avail, though this itself was not necessarily a bad thing. Part of their mission was to plan an ambush to capture the man should the opportunity present itself and since it did not appear that he had made it to Kinzoku Town yet that meant that they would have plenty of time to do so, though they needed to be sure of the man's latency before planning such a risky move.

However, just after noon, the team was handed a clue that they couldn't pass up, prompting Tokuma to recall all of his team members to Kinzoku Town's police station at the heart of the sprawling mining town.

Rushing as fast as she could, Kisa jumped down from the rooftop to the streets below with a watery thud, bringing Tokuma, who had been standing by himself beneath a recessed porchway that led into the police station's entrance, to focus on her.

"You got here fast." He stated as the girl came to a stop beside him and pulled down her hood, allowing the maroon-colored knitted cap she wore over her head to become visible.

"I was only a few blocks away when you called for us. Is everything alright? Where are the others?" She questioned, to which Tokuma nodded to reassure her as he looked back towards the police station's doors.

"Everything is fine, we've just finally gotten a lead. A young woman and her son were tending to a small rooftop garden on the outskirts of town when a man fitting Ibaraki's description approached them." He stated as Kisa tilted her head a bit out of curiosity.

"Did they say what he wanted?"

"No, not yet at least. The authorities were just beginning to speak to her when I got her, but to save her from having her to repeat herself I wanted at least one other person to be here before I went inside. From what I've heard she's a bit shaken up over the whole thing for some reason." The team leader replied as Kisa looked to the door and nodded.

"We should wait for the others then, I'm sure they aren't too far behind." She responded, causing Tokuma to shake his head.

"No, I don't want to risk this woman getting cold feet and deciding not to help us like the others, nor do we want to wait so long that Ibaraki escapes. The two of us will do just fine." He interjected as he stepped forward towards the entrance, took the handle in his hand and looked back to Kisa who had followed his lead without further question, bringing him to open the doors and step inside.

Once inside the station's lobby the two shinobi were immediately greeted by three rather uneasy local police officers, all of which were wearing different articles of clothing with the only uniform part of their attire being the teal flak jacket style vests placed overtop bearing the mark of Kinzoku Town's police agency. It was not unheard of for these small towns to utilize an almost militia-like approach to their policing methods, especially those run by the mining companies, though with their relatively close proximity to the border with foreign nations she found it rather off that they would not have at least some sort of Hidden Leaf presence.

"Inspector Motoko is just about finished with her interview process Mr. Tokuma, so whenever you are ready we can proceed." One of the officers stated, to which Tokuma nodded and waved for them to proceed while Kisa stayed close behind, unsure of how she felt about the town's police force. Ever since entering the station they had yet to take their eyes off of either of them, causing her to feel uneasy and hesitant to head deeper into the building without at least Takao, though as they entered into what looked to be a secluded interview room where the woman and her son sat she eased a bit.

"These are the two?" Tokuma questioned as a woman who had been sitting across from the witnesses stood from the table and turned towards him. Unlike the other police officers she seemed to be wearing some sort of uniform beneath her flak jacket which coupled with her militarized haircut consisting of tight bun at the back of her head indicating that she, unlike the others, may have been in the policing profession full time.

"They are indeed, Mr. Tokuma." She stated as she readjusted her glasses and turned to Kisa with a rather unfeeling glare, bringing Tokuma to motion towards her.

"This is Miss Kisa. She will be listening in on the interview process as well." He stated as the woman stared for a moment longer before redirecting her eyes back to the young woman and her son.

"Very well. This is Hisako and her son Eito. According to what she has said, she may have seen the man you are all searching my town for." Motoko stated as Tokuma stepped forward and sat down at the table across from them watching as she carefully stroked the hair of the little boy sitting beside her. It wasn't clear what exactly the instructor had been talking to the woman about before they entered but it seemed that she was afraid, more afraid than they originally stated she was following the incident, making it imperative that he be as tactful as possible.

"Is this true Mrs. Hisako? Did you are your son encounter a suspicious stranger earlier this morning?" He asked softly as the woman looked up to him and slowly nodded; her eyes shifting back between himself and kisa as she did so.

"Yes, we did." She replied as Tokuma nodded subconsciously.

"Do you remember what he was wearing, or if you can recall, what he looked like?" He followed up with as the woman stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. He had on this green, knee-length coat beneath what seemed like a gray vest... but as far as what he looked like, I'm not quite sure. I… I couldn't see his face." The woman began to explain, causing Tokuma to look at Kisa in confirmation that this did indeed seem to be the man they were after; her description matching the information they had been given perfectly.

"Mrs. Hisako, if you can, do you think you could possibly tell us what happened? I know you've already told the Inspector here, but I would like to hear for myself." Tokuma stated, again catching a short, silent stare from the woman, though after a second she again nodded in agreement.

"Me and my son were on our rooftop tending to the small little garden we take care of just after sunrise. I was taking down the clothes we had left up to air dry overnight while Eito played with his hands in a bucket of water, but when I turned to check on him and… there… I… I'm sorry..." She stated, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts as the memory of her encounter causing her heart to palpate as Tokuma reached out and placed her hand on her arm to reassure her that everything was alright.

"It's okay, take your time." He stated, prompting her to nod and fight back the tears forming in her eyes.

"There was this man standing in front of him."

"Did he try and take him? Did he try and take Eito?" Tokuma asked, causing Hisako to shake her head.

"No, not that I saw, they… they were just staring at one another. At first I was a bit startled that this man just appeared on the roof like that and stepped forward to grab Eito incase that were the case, but then I saw that blood was dripping down from his coat to the roof. He was injured and it looked like he needed help, but he instead asked for water and for something we could spare to eat from the garden. I went to give it to him to send him on his way, but..." She stated with a bit of a smile while speaking about her son, though as her sentence trailed off her expression again turned to fear.

"B-But when I stepped closer h-he shifted his head towards me and grabbed a knife from his pouch a-as if I was threatening him, and I saw his eyes-" Hisako continued, causing Inspector Motoko to cross her arms.

"You stated before that you did not see his face; that it was concealed and indistinguishable." She sternly interjected, to which the woman shook her head.

"I-I didn't! All I could see was his mouth, the rest was covered by the shadow of his hood, but his eyes… those glowing orange eyes... once I saw them through the shadow all of the fear came back at once. He tried to say something, but I just grabbed Eito and ran down the stairs into our house and called you guys!" She resumed, instantly causing Kisa's interest to skyrocket and her silence to break.

"Glowing eyes?" She asked as the woman turned to her, nodded and fearfully pulled her son closer.

"Yes! All I could think of was that this man, this monster, was there to take Eito… do you think that was what he really wanted?!" Hisako questioned, though as she did so Tokuma gently squeezed her arm.

"No Mrs. Hisako, I think that you and little Eito here are both safe. It seems that your encounter with this man was more than likely by chance, and that he was simply looking for something to eat and drink, like you said. You will both be just fine." He replied before standing up to his feet and looking to Inspector Motoko and then finally Kisa.

"Even if the description Miss Hisako's description didn't include a mask there is more than enough similarities to reasonably believe Ibaraki was here, and if that is indeed the case he is injured. That must be why his movements have been so slow. Has there been anyone else who has come forward about this, Inspector?"

"Not an encounter like this, though some of the town guards reported seeing someone heading north out of town just after this incident. Chances are it may have been your target." She replied as Tokuma nodded and looked back to Kisa.

"The others are likely in the lobby. Let them know we have Ibaraki's trail and will be heading north immediately." He instructed, causing Kisa to bow in acknowledgment as she turned to leave the room, leaving Tokuma to turn to Inspector Motoko.

"Thank you for your help Inspector, we will be taking our leave and heading north. If you see anything else, please let us know." He stated as the woman again pushed up her glasses and huffed.

"Whatever we can do to keep you moving on out of our town. We're not sure what all these cases of rogue ninja are about, but the Kinzoku Mining Company wants nothing to do with it." She replied, bringing Tokuma to narrow his eyes on the woman.

"Noted."

Heading north out of the town as instructed the group quickly picked up on the bloody scent of what they believed could be the man they had been searching for, leading them to follow it for several miles until finally coming to a crossroads, both metaphorically and physically, sliding to a stop in the center of the road behind Tamiko as she herself halted in her tracks.

"What, what's wrong?" Koji questioned as he looked around, bringing the woman's eyes to rest upon him through her tinted glasses.

"The trail splits into two seperate paths, one of which follows each of the forks before us." She stated to which the man huffed.

"And? Can't you tell which is the correct one?" He replied as she knelt down and placed her fingers to the muddied walkway below.

"It's hard to see, but the blood my insects have been following follows both paths as well. I'm not entirely certain why this is but it is possible that he may have doubled back, or that he is using a trick to throw us off." Tamiko added, prompting Kisa to kneel at the blood spot and Tokuma to activate his Byakugan to look around, though after a few seconds she returned his eyes to normal and looked back to the group.

"I can't make out the real path ethier." He stated before looking back to the fork in the road in thought, allowing Takao to speak up.

"What should we do? Should we split up like earlier?" The man asked, immediately catching opposition from Koji.

"We can't split up, that's the whole point. We don't know what this man is capable of, so we can't assume that only a handful of us will be able to bring him down. We have to just pick a trail and hope it pans out." The man objected, to which Takao scoffed.

"Oh yeah, 'cuz you've got such a good record when it comes to gambling." He replied, throwing Koji into a fit of yelling as Tokuma turned back to them.

"He's right." He stated aloud, causing both men to stop their fighting and turn their attention to their squad leader.

"Me?" Koji questioned.

"No, Takao. He's right; we have no choice but to split up." Tokuma added as Koji turned his whole body back to Tokuma.

"Are you nuts?! This guy attacked an entire village by himself, do you even understand how dangerous that makes him?!"

"Yes, and that's why it's imperative that we find him. We can't run the risk of gambling on one path and lose his trail, there is too much at stake." He responded as Kisa and Tamiko came to a stop beside him, bringing the former to look at him for a moment before nodding.

"I agree with them. If Ibaraki changes his course and heads back into the Land of Fire he could attack another village, or worse, Konoha. We can't let that happen." She stated, causing Koji to turn to Tamiko.

"Please tell me that you don't think this is a good idea too!" He pleaded, though much to his dismay the woman nodded, bringing Takao to grin as he cracked his knuckles.

"Alright! Me and Kisa will take the path to the left, y'all can go to the right!" He exclaimed, although almost immediately Tokuma broke up that idea as he stepped forward into the middle of the four others.

"Hold on. I know that Kisa and you traditionally operate together, but I feel that it would be best if the groups are divided into two in order to reflect our abilities. This way each group is evenly equipped to deal with Ibaraki and nobody will be on their own." He stated as he looked to the group.

"Koji, Takao and Tamiko, take the path to the right. Kisa and I will head to the left. This way each group will have someone capable of tracking him without physically seeing him. Whichever group finds him first will send out the signal and the opposite will come running, just like we talked about this morning." Tokuma added as Koji scoffed.

"Is each group going to have a medic too?" He questioned despite knowing the answer to the question, causing Tokuma to stare at him in slight annoyance for a second before replying.

"Like I said, if you find him we will come running. With my Byakugan I will be able to locate you quickly, so it makes the most sense for Kisa to be with me should we need to rapidly make our way to you. Now, are we done arguing?" He replied, bringing Koji to sigh and shake his head.

"Fine, but I just want to go on record as saying that this is a _horrible_ idea. Let's go you two." He stated before following the silent woman down their assigned path, leaving Takao to look back at Kisa as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful. We will see you when we find him." He stated with a grin before once again splitting up from her to head out on the search, leaving Kisa to nod as she turned back to her partner.

"Ready?" He asked before heading out on their own path following their nod, all while the storm overhead intensified.

As they began to follow the long path that lead out into the woods surrounding Kinzoku Town Kisa kept her eyes out for any sign of Ibaraki, though inside her thoughts were more troubled than normal. Aside from her pre- existing anxiety related to finding Akito she was beginning to become increasingly paranoid that Tokuma was, for one reason or another, singling her out.

At first she assumed it was just caution. She had never met Tokuma before this mission let alone worked with him, so she understood that he was a bit concerned both in her ability to perform as well as her wellbeing as his subordinate, but it seemed like more than that now. Every chance he got he was keeping a watchful eye on her movements, from making sure she was well rested to keeping her at arm's length at sensitive times, something was wrong; he was babying her. Was this really because of worry or was this because of her curse mark?

She knew full well that Tokuma was aware of her affliction, there wasn't any way he wasn't. She knew that Tsunade would have ever let her come on the mission without someone aware of what she was capable of, nor would she have gone if someone was not capable of stopping her in that state, making it clear to her that Tokuma was intended to be that person.

Even now as they jumped from tree to tree while following Ibaraki's trail with the help of his Byakugan she could see Tokuma keeping watch over her, even staring at her for extended periods of time, as if the closer they came to finding their target the more he felt the need to supervisor her every movement. Did he really fear she would turn into that monster? Since that day five months ago she had not lost control, even when using her curse for her own gain. Why couldn't he trust her?

Coming to a small clearing in the woods where he could see a large quantity of blood, Tokuma slid to a stop in the mud and knelt down, causing Kisa to land beside him.

"More blood?" She questioned.

"Yes, more than the rest of the trail up until this point." He replied as her eyes focused on where his fingers were pressed, this time allowing her to see the drops of blood that had yet to be diluted to unrecognizable consistency by the heavy rain.

"It seems fresh too. He must be close." She stated as she stepped forward and looked around for a second before looking back to her partner. It was clear that spending too much time with his Byakugan activated the straining on his eyes and the last thing she wanted was for him to be unable to use it later when it mattered most, especially if she could help out.

"Since I can see the blood now I will track him, that way you can rest your eyes. We are going to need them when we catch up to him." The girl stated as Tokuma stood back up to his feet and shook his head.

"I will be alright, Kisa. With how hard it is raining it is probably best if I keep taking point." He replied, causing the girl to scowl as she crossed her arms.

"So you are going to run yourself ragged just to make sure I don't have to work?"

"No, it's not that." He tried to reply, though Kisa was not going to back down. She needed to make her point.

"I know that Lady Tsunade told you to keep an eye on me Tokuma, but you don't need to stare at me constantly. I'm fine." She stated, catching Tokuma a bit off guard. Did she catch on to what he was doing? With how highly the Hokage spoke of Kisa he knew it was only a matter before she found out, though he wished it would have been after the mission.

Letting out a small sigh, the Hyuga released his Byakugan and rubbed the side of his head to combat the slight headache it's extended use had caused.

"She was right when she said there was little that slipped passed you. If you want to know the truth, then yes; Lady Tsunade did indeed ask me to keep an eye on you, and I promised that I would do so." He stated, though Kisa's angered glare continued.

"Well I appreciate the Hokage's concern, but like I said, I'm fine. I can handle myself just fine and all this is going to do is bog the mission down." She retorted sharply, to which Tokuma stood steadfast.

"I understand you are annoyed, but orders are orders. In all honesty you should be thankful for Lady Tsunade's concern for you, because to be completely transparent I originally opposed your involvement in this mission and if it weren't for the Hokage's insistence neither of you would be here."

Hearing this Kisa's eyes widened and her arms dropped to her sides in anger, ignoring the news that Tsunade had pushed for them so hard in favor of getting answers as to why Tokuma did not.

"What, why?! Before this you didn't know me or Takao, Tokuma. Why would you try and blackball us?" She questioned feverishly as Tokuma himself crossed his arms and stared at the girl.

"It wasn't personal. When Lady Tsunade requested that I lead this mission to find Ibaraki my only request was that I be permitted to have a say on who would be assigned as my team. Like you just said, prior to this mission I didn't know you nor Takao, so after seeing your names on the list shortly after your meeting with the Hokage I set out to see what I was dealing with."

"When I caught up with the two of you I overheard your conversation about Akito Himaku; the boy who frequented Konoha from the Hidden Stone. I didn't hear everything, but I gathered enough to believe that your intentions for going out on this mission were not exactly what I needed. This is a dangerous situation, and I didn't need someone whose mind was clouded." He continued, causing Kisa's eyes to widen further and her face grew a tinge darker from embarrassment as she recalled the man watching them from a distance that day.

She knew that had to have been Tokuma when she first saw him in Tsunade's office, but with everything that had been going on since, the mission and their journey, then she had completely forgotten about it. So he knew all about her real reasoning for coming on this mission? He knew about Akito?

"I…" She grunted in disgust at herself as well as Tokuma's tactics, just as Tokuma again spoke up in order to continue his story.

"However, when I confronted the Hokage about what I had heard to have you removed from the mission, she instead seemed more fortified in her decision to assign you two to the mission, even going as far as to insist you and Takao come along, as I stated before." He added, causing Kisas eyes, which had been looking down at the blood below aimlessly in shame, to dart back to his.

"She did?"

"Yes. One thing you should have learned by now is that Lady Tsunade is an expert at reading into someone's feelings; she knew that you needed this chance to find that boy, even if it turned out to be nothing more than a pipedream. I expressed concern that this could possibly compromise the mission's outcome, but she reassured me that you were an excellent shinobi and by far one of the best to see this through. She trusts you, and through my faith in her so do I… though that doesn't mean I'm going to break my promise to the Hokage." Tokuma replied with a small grin, leaving the girl silent.

Lady Tsunade wanted her to be on the mission even after learning of her intentions? She knew she needed this? How could this be? Why would she willingly let her out there if she knew that it was all part of some crazy scheme to find Akito? Was this some kind of test, or did she really believe that she could find him?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that, and I certainly shouldn't have been hiding part of why I wanted to be on this mission so badly." The girl apologized sheepishly in shame, but Tokuma simply shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize. I know you-" He began to explain, only to stop as across the field from them a loud snap of a branch echoed out, instantly causing the two shinobi to turn their heads in the direction of the noise. With how hard the rain was coming down it was difficult to see the distance clearly, though as Tokuma activated his Byakugan to cut through the veil it was clear that they were not alone and that in the distance there was a lone man making his way deeper into the forest.

"Movement." He stated as Kisa let out a short gasp. Had he been listening to them all along?

"Do you think he saw us?"

Turning to Kisa as the figure ahead of them disappeared further into the brush, Tokuma shook his head.

"I don't know, but we have to follow. If that really is him we can't let him get away." He replied before taking off towards the figure with Kisa in tow.

Quickly making their way across the clearing and into the woods on the other side, Kisa's cautiously continued to keep watch around them as Tokuma tirelessly tracked the bloody trail being left behind by their prey. From the trail it appeared that he was doing as best he could to try and shake them from his tail though with the amount of blood he was leaving behind that task proved impossible and within minutes the two came to yet another clearing that, much to their surprise, Ibaraki was standing in the center of.

Coming to a quick stop a moderate distance away from their motionless target, Kisa and Tokuma looked at one another quickly before returning their eyes to the man before them; his back facing them as his attention seemed to be up in the sky. Just as both their intelligence and the young woman in Kinzoku Town had indicated he appeared to be wearing some sort of green, blood-soaked long coat with an unaffiliated grey vest overtop as well as several bits of visible equipment and pouches, the most ominous of which was a set of two tantos; each pointed to either his left of right hand in their stored state for easy accessibility from behind his back.

"It's him, there's no doubt." Tokuma stated under his breath as he reached up and placed his hand to the microphone button on his neck, allowing him to reach out to the others.

"Koji, we've located the suspect. Have Tamiko track the insects I know she's placed on us and hurry to our location." He called as Kisa continued to analyze the foe in front of them, though Koji's answer was far from what we expected.

"Yeah, so did we! We're fighting him right now and I'm a little busy!" He called back with the clear sound of fighting in the background, causing Tokuma to grunt under his breath. If there were two of them one or both of them had to have been a clone, though for neither Tamiko nor himself to pick up on this earlier would mean that they were rather advanced clones, or possibly even shadow clones.

"One of them has to be a shadow clone of some kind. Whichever group has the clone will need to defeat it quickly and then hurry to the other's location." He instructed just as Ibaraki's head slowly turned to look over his shoulder, allowing the group to catch their first glimpse of the man's face, though contrary to Hisako's information he now wore the mask they had originally been told he possessed, illuminated by a bright strike of lightning in the distance.

"You shouldn't have come here." He said in a low voice barely audible over the pouring rain, causing Tokuma's eyes to narrow on him to see if he was preparing to attack before looking to Kisa who, with her hands near her sides, was preparing to respond with her own attack.

"You are the one who attacked Amegakure several nights ago and who has been sneaking around the Land of Fire ever since, correct? The man known as Ibaraki." Tokuma replied, to which Ibaraki chuckled beneath his mask.

"That name is nothing more than the whispers left behind in my wake… it means nothing to me. Leave me be… you're interfering with something you don't understand." He stated with a subtle hint of pain likely caused by his injuries, though at this point they could still not see exactly where he was wounded nor to what extent.

What was clear from his voice was that he sounded young, maybe as old as his early thirties, though the mask made it difficult to distinguish an exact age as it purposely distorted his tone enough to prevent easy voice identification. This man seemed to be set up as an anonymous assassin, making him more dangerous than just some random rogue.

"So it was you then. Why did you attack Ame? Are you working with the Akatsuki?" Tokuma responded, though Ibaraki simply remained silent, prompting him to look back at Kisa with a small nod. Normally he would not authorize a preemptive strike on a target like this, someone they were not entirely sure was guilty, but with how much of a threat he posed he wouldn't risk this man getting the upper hand right from the start.

"We'll ask you again. Are you working with the Akatsuki?" The girl questioned, causing the man to lift his head just a tiny bit to better hear her voice.

"No. There is your answer… now get out of here." He replied as Tokuma again narrowed his vision on the man.

"It's not quite that simple. With all the damage you caused in the Hidden Rain we simply can't take your word for it and allow you to continue on your way. You will need to come with us back to Konoha for questioning." The squad leader responded, once again bringing Ibaraki to fall silent as Tokuma watched his chakra beginning to rise, leaving him no choice but to look back to Kisa with one last nod.

Acknowledging Tokuma's signal, Kisa tightened her hands and immediately rose the right up towards the man, causing a large ridge of ice to appear from the ground before her towards him in an attempt to snare his feet and hands. However, just as the ice was about to lock him down to the ground to prevent him from escaping or more importantly retaliating, the man shifted his heel on the ground, summoning multiple rock spikes to pierce out from below to break her attack without even raising a single finger into a hand sign.

Irritated, the girl next left her left hand to form more ice around in an attempt to converge over him and entirely encase him inside, but just as the attack was about to strike he lifted his head further, eyeing the girl up with both eyes and giving her a brief look at the orange, demonic glow beneath his mask.

Stuck with her eyes locked to the monstrous light as time seemed to stand still Kisa watched as the ice completely covered his body and solidified, seeming to have captured him without much effort though after just a few seconds the ice formed a long crack running up the center, forcing Kisa to grunt.

"Watch out!" She exclaimed, signaling for them to jump back a short distance as the ice exploded into a flurry of sharp pieces and snowy dust. Forced to cover their eyes to protect them from the explosion, both shinobi quickly attempted to establish sightline on the man, though the misty cloud the sudden destruction of the solid ice caused hindered Kisa from doing so.

"What happened?! Did he blow himself up to keep us from capturing him?!" She asked rapidly as Tokuma peered into the cloud with his Byakugan and shook his head, all while drawing a kunai from his sheath in preparation for a fight.

"No… he's still here. Get ready." He replied just as the mist began to settle down and man's silhouette appeared in the same spot he had stood before, this time facing them with his head up to fully reveal both the demonic Oni mask he wore beneath his hood as well as the orange glow in his eyes, sending a shiver down Kisa's spine as she too drew a knife from its holster.

"I don't know who you are… ngg… b-but you should have ran away when you had t-the chance." The man stated in an angered, pained voice as the two readied themselves for combat, only to be placed on the defensive with a short grunt as Ibaraki drew both of his short blades from their holster and charged towards them at breakneck speed.

"Get out of my way!"


	24. Chapter 24: Ibaraki

Caught off guard by just how fast their target was able to approach Tokuma let out a loud grunt of frustration as Ibaraki flickered between himself and Kisa, forcing both shinobi to swiftly raise their kunai up to stop his blades as they neared their necks, showering them with sparks and again giving them a brief second to observe the man's appearance before attempting to make a move of their own.

"Now!" Tokuma screamed, prompting Kisa to push back on the man's weapons at the same time as Tokuma to break Ibaraki's guard and give them a chance to counter, though just as they did so he jumped up into the air to escape from between the two of them, formed hand signs and took a deep breath; a universal sign that a fire attack was about to occur.

Spotting his intent, Kisa quickly inhaled and formed her own hand signs before exhaling a large amount of water to counter the attack, slowing the fire's descent and allowing Tokuma to dive up through to weakened fireball towards Ibaraki, lashing out with him with his Byakugan in the process to try and cripple his chakra flow.

Aware of Touma's kekkei genkai however, Ibaraki dodged the man's attack and planted his foot to his chest, pushing him back towards the ground and allowing himself to be sent back away from the two in order to create distance between them. Sliding to a stop on one knee, he then quickly formed hand signs and placed them to the ground, causing a large ridgeline of spikes to spew from the grounds as it dashed towards the two, forcing them to separate from one another and again launch a joint offensive.

Running towards the man as she sidestepped to avoid a large rock spike that pierced out of the ground in front of her, Kisa formed a handful of ice senbon and threw them towards their target to occupy him long enough for Tokuma to strike with his Byakugan yet again. Slamming his open palm to Ibaraki's chest Tokuma unleashed a blast of energy to send him flying, but just as he did so their foe disappeared into a puff of smoke, indicating he was a shadow clone.

Grunting in annoyance, Tokuma quickly began to look around for any sign of the real man as Kisa slid to a stop by his side, though before the could verify that this Ibaraki was the fake and alert the others his presence again became known as he rapidly approached the two from below.

"Lookout below!" Kisa exclaimed as she detected the man's approach milliseconds before his appearance, allowing both herself and Tokuma to avoid his clutches as his hands broke through the ground below towards their ankles to ensnare them in his trap and setting the stage for the girl herself to respond.

Forming a large ice spike in her hands, Kisa quickly jabbed it into the ground below to try and spear the man's arms, only to again let out a small gasp of surprise as a violent electric current shot up through the ice; the sharp electric forcing her to let out a sharp cry of pain as her hand involuntarily tightened.

"G-Guah!" She yelped for a second until Tokuma could free her from the current, at which point both shinobi had little choice but to scatter as the ground below erupted into an explosion, tossing dirt and debris across the area and allowing Ibaraki to resurface completely; his blades now glowing with chakra as electricity arced around them.

"I told you to run." He exclaimed as his bright eyes stared the two down, causing Kisa to huff as she gingerly rubbed her burned hand and quickly healed it back to a tolerable level. What was that supposed to mean? Was he just toying with them in an attempt to scare them off? Why would someone who was wanted for the murder of dozens hold back against those who sought his capture?

"We already told you that we weren't leaving here without you. After what you did in Ame, all those people you killed, you will be coming back to Konoha one way or another." The girl shot back in a short, sharp outburst, causing the man to narrow his eyes on her.

"The people in Ame… you don't know what they've done." He replied painfully as Kisa growled under her breath.

"Whatever they did probably wasn't deserving of death!" She exclaimed as she lifted her both hands up towards the man, again causing a cascade of spikes to rip through the ground towards him, though much like her first attempt to do so Ibaraki simply fell to a knee, placed both palms to the dirt and raised stone out of the ground to defeat the attack.

Hidden from sight the masked man then sank into the ground and traveled beneath the rock wall he had just summoned to attack the two, popping forth from below just short of the Hyuga in a spinning blade attack, forcing Tokuma to block with his kunai as well as grab the man's other hand, preventing him from swinging it downward.

Locked up, Ibaraki lurched his head back and then immediately forward, striking Tokuma in a rough headbutt that caused him to stagger backwards and forced Kisa to step in to prevent the masked man from killing her partner with the blades in his hand.

"I don't think so!" She exclaimed as she parried his weapon to the side and uppercut him in the jaw, causing him to replace himself with a clone before reappearing behind the girl, striking her in the stomach with his knee as she turned to face him.

Grunting from the sudden attack and reacting quickly, Kisa swiftly grabbed ahold of the man's knee to prevent it from causing significant damage and pushed him back, just in time to allow a recovered Tokuma to plant a hand the man's chest, this time successfully sending the man flying backwards from the two of them into the field with a powerful Vacuum Palm.

"Don't let up!" He ordered as the two rushed towards Ibaraki, who slid to a stop and immediately began to fire several fireballs their way. Dodging and weaving in and out of the incoming fire Kisa retrieved and then tossed a handful of true metal senbon through one of Ibaraki's attacks, forcing him to parry them away with his sword before slamming his hand to the dirt and summoning a large stone pillar to knock the woman off course followed by a slew of stone spikes to force her even further back.

Watching the woman somersault away from his dangerous traps, Ibaraki averted his glowing gaze to his right as Tokuma flickered into existence and attempted to trap and barrage him with his own version of the Hyuga's chakra sealing technique, though after the first strike Ibaraki grabbed ahold of his swinging arms and twisted it back, halting his attempt to hinder him.

"You won't get me with that trick, Hyuga!" Ibaraki snarled as he stared Tokuma down before spotting the man's partner rapidly approaching, prompting him to flip over Tokuma's arm to engage the approaching kunoichi.

Knocking a handful of her senbon of course with his sword the masked man kicked the girl's stomach to knock her back before slamming Tokuma to the ground and lifting his leg to crush his skull, only to be blown high into the air by another of the Hyuga's gentle fist releases.

However, much to their surprise Ibaraki again exploded into a large puff of smoke that released a massive barrage of kunai and senbon down onto the two, forcing Kisa to raise an ice dome overtop of them to protect them from the steel raining down from the sky.

Watching as the weapons stuck into the outside of Kisa's dome, Tokuma looked to his partner to double check her condition before looking back out at Ibaraki as he reappeared on a knee in the distance; his hand placement and body language suggestion that he was both in pain as well as attempting to forcibly open the single chakra point he had been able to close.

"He's obviously injured and seems to be struggling. If we keep the pressure on, we may be able to force him to slip up, allowing us to bring him down." He stated before looking back to Kisa. He could tell something was wrong though it did not seem to be any injury that he could see.

"Are you alright?" He question as Kisa nodded, bringing Tokuma to once again return his eyes to their foe.

"Alright, then if that is the case, prepare yourself. While his reaction time and speed are impressive his attacks and ninjutsu techniques are all very basic if not mastered in execution. Based on what we've heard about the incident in Ame I don't think he's showing us anywhere near a fraction what he is capable of, so we need to be careful." Tokuma added as Kisa dropped her ice dome to the ground and allowed them to again rush their foe.

However, even she had told Tokuma moments before that nothing was bothering her, there was indeed something that was weighing heavily on her mind. Their fight against Ibaraki had only just begun but she was already finding herself analyzing his movements and techniques, and even though every part of her being was trying not to she found herself comparing his moves and attacks against those of someone she knew well; Akito.

From his stance to the way he moved and even how he was able to utilize some basic techniques without hand signs, she could easily see Akito in this man, and even though his kekkei genkai and kinjutsu were absent there was no denying how strange this felt. Was it possible that this man was from Iwagakure as well? That would explain why the fighting style felt so familiar, but could it really be so close to Akito's that it would feel identical?

Closing in on the man as he stood back up on to his feet, Tokuma again attempted to utilize his Vacuum Palm since it had proven effective at least twice now, though Ibaraki quickly summoned a rock wall to block the sonic wave coming towards him and then turned his attention towards Kisa as she flanked to the left of the wall.

Kicking off of the large stone, the girl unleashed two heavy handfuls of both ice and steel senbon onto the man, forcing him to dash towards her in a zig-zag formation to both avoid the attacks and close the distance between him, at which point he readied both of his blades. Letting out a sharp, angry cry, Ibaraki swung both of his swords down on top of her, forcing her to quickly form her own blades out of Ice to keep herself from being injured; taking care to flush her weapon with chakra to keep Ibaraki from cutting through or burning her with electricity.

Although formidable it was clear to her that kenjutsu was not this man's specialty, allowing her to easily parry his weapons to the side and simultaneously strike at his mask to try and reveal his face, though by pure luck alone he again blocked her attack with his weapons. This in itself seemed to be a bit of false victory as well as although he was pressing everything he had into holding her back the girl's blades were gradually inching their way towards his neck, resulting in the two of them standing face to face and allowing her the chance to look into his glowing eyes up close.

From what she could see it did not appear that the mask was causing the glow nor did it seem to be naturally occuring, and instead seemed to be more akin to some kind of chakra flowing through his iris, causing it to glow a vibrant orange, but why? What would cause something like this to occur and what was its purpose?

"You are outnumbered two-to-one and clearly wounded; just give up already!" She stated in an attempt to get him to stand down as the man narrowed his eyes on her and grunted, a clear testament to the struggle he was experiencing holding her back, though instead of surrendering the man used all of his strength to parry the woman's weapons away from his neck, only to have her slash him across his mask instead.

Letting out a short gasp at the strike Ibaraki lifted his hand up to parry her blade away before it could dig into his flesh, only to catch sight of Tokuma as he flickered towards him to again attempt to disable his chakra pathway system, forcing him to act quickly to remain in the fight. Snarling under his breath, the masked man tossed his right blade in the air and turned his hand into a fist before swinging it down into the ground at his feet.

"Enough!" He exclaimed as his punch made contact with the dirt, instantly setting off a large yet controlled explosion that caused the ground to buckle and the two Konoha shinobi to be sent off away from him as Kisa watched on in complete shock as Ibaraki seized the opportunity to attack, grabbed his still-floating tanto from midair and charged directly at her.

Correcting her flight and sliding to a stop on a knee with a loud grunt, Kisa quickly reformed prepared her blades to defend herself from the incoming man's attack, but before she could do so Tokuma appeared in front of her and held both of his hands out before him to unleash a might Vacuum Wall Palm; a larger form of the Vacuum Palm attack that despite Ibaraki's best attempt to dodge he could not, sending him flying violently across the muddied field.

Watching Ibaraki slide to an emergency stop a good distance away from them, Tokuma turned back towards Kisa for a moment to again check on her condition before returning his Byakugan to their foe.

"That attack was-" He began to explain, though Kisa cut him off almost instantly.

"Explosive Release, I know, but it… it can't be." She stated as her eyes fixated on the man in the distance; her mind in overdrive.

How could this be? How could this person posses the explosive release kekkei genkai? From what Lady Tsunade had told her Akito and his cousin were the only two left who possessed explosive release, and from what she could tell this man did not meet the latter's description nor his style of combat. Could this truly be him? Could this be Akito?

No, it couldn't be. Aside from the obvious differences in his eyes and the use of both kenjutsu as well as electric-style nature release, both of which she had never seen Akito utilize, he could never do the things Ibaraki was accused of, let alone attack her like this. Even if he was confused by her new hairstyle and appearance he would have known by now who she was… this wasn't Akito.

"It has to be something else." She added aloud as Tokuma looked to her and huffed, unsure how she knew what he was going to say but speaking out against her belief that it couldn't have been explosive release anyway.

"There's no denying it. I've never encountered one of it's wielders in person but he matches what I've been told, and with my Byakugan activated I can see he has a large amount of chakra flowing to his hands when he attacks." He stated as his eyes narrowed in on their target as he stood up and reached into his back pocket for something, though from this distance he was not entirely sure what it could be.

"What's even stranger is his hands seem to have an extra chakra point on his palms; something I've never seen before and that is not indicative of explosive release." Tokuma added, furthering Kisa's dismay as she looked back to him in shock. Extra chakra points on his hands? Did that have something to do with his kinjutsu? No… no it couldn't be, this had to be someone else. Deidara, a distant relative; anyone but Akito.

Tracking the man as he began to charge towards them, Tokuma readied himself in his fighting form and took a deep breath.

"You seem to already know this, but explosive release is extremely dangerous in close quarters combat. We need to end this right now." He stated, looking over to the girl as she stood up, looked at him and nodded. She knew what he was asking of her and no matter how hesitant she was growing amidst the mounting doubt in her mind she couldn't disobey Tokuma's orders, nor could she risk getting them both killed because of their fears, especially if it was indeed Deidara.

Taking a meditative-like pose and placing her hands together as she closed her eyes, Kisa took a deep breath as well and slowly exhaled, allowing the curse mark on her neck to slowly spread; her hair growing long as both her eyes and skin darkened to the dark grey shade she hated so much yet had little choice but to use.

"Ready?" Tokuma questioned as the girl pulled down her hood to allow the excess hair to escape and adjusted her beanie so that the crystalline ridges atop her head would not be visible before centering her attention on the approaching attacker.

"Ready." She replied as Ibaraki came into strike distance and raised his fist back, forcing her to generate a large amount of ice at her feet that she then raised up into a thick, blast proof wall, defeating what Kisa knew as a landmine fist before jumping up atop her fortification and forming hand signs. Targeting the man below, the girl took a deep breath and exhaled a large wave of water from her mouth down atop him, causing it to freeze upon contact, though it came as no surprise to the girl when the Ibaraki before her disappeared into a puff of smoke.

Prepared for this, Kisa shifted her attention over to Tokuma as he used his Byakugan to peer into the ground, pointing to the spot at which he believed Ibaraki was about to surface and allowed her to freeze the ground over to prevent him from doing so. Watching the man below disappear as well, Tokuma looked up in time to watch the real Ibaraki flicker directly up to him, catching him off guard.

"I've had enough of these games!" He snarled as he swung towards Tokuma's head, only to have the man parry his strike away with the back of his open palm. Acting in his opening, Tokuma attempted to strike at Ibaraki's chest with his Gentle Palm, but just as he was about to do so Ibaraki swung his hand around, placed his own open palm to the Hyuga's chest and blew him back with an Exploding Palm.

Jumping down on top of him to use the opening created by his attack on Tokuma, Kisa reached up and froze some of the pouring rain into sharp daggers of ice that rained down on top of him from above, forcing him to dodge and allowing her the chance to close the gap between them.

Dashing forward through her own falling ice the girl quickly closed in on the man as he did a flip backwards to avoid her, resulting in her reaching out and swiping his hands out from beneath him as he did so.

Recovering quickly, the man forced himself back on to his feet and reared his fist back to strike the girl, though she again blocked his attack using her ice wall before reaching through her ice like one of her Demonic Ice Mirrors and pulling him through, only to toss him back out into a large dome of ice a few seconds later.

Having him where she wanted Kisa quickly entered her ice dome and appeared all around the man as he looked around with only the slightest hint of distress before picking one image of the girl to focus on letting out a small laugh; his glowing eyes tracing over her noticeably long hair and darker skin with a small grunt.

"So that's it; that's how you have the Ice Release kekkei genkai. You're one of… O-Orochimaru's experiments." He stated with a painful stagger as the girl stopped preparing a barrage of crippling senbon and stared at him, curious as to what he meant.

"How do you know about Orochimaru's experiments? Are you working with him?" She questioned as Tokuma came up to the ice dome and peered inside, listening intently as he watched Ibaraki stare up at the girl, although at her question he simply laughed under his mask.

"Don't even use him in t-the same sentence as me... I wouldn't work for that man even if I had n-no choice. He seeks out those with unique kekkei genkai and talents and experiments on them, all with the goal of taking them for himself." He replied as his eyes narrowed on the girl and his fists tightened, despite the blood that now ran out of his side onto the ice at his feet, signaling Kisa that he was about to attack.

"I don't know how you got the ice release from him, b-but I do know that it doesn't belong to you... and I'm going to make sure you don't keep it!" He exclaimed as he formed multiple hand signs and inhaled a large amount of air before exhaling a tremendous amount of bright, high intensity fire, filling the dome around him completely with a swirling vortex of flame and causing her dome to weaken a bit, much to her surprise.

Usually this technique was infallible on its own, so being that her cursed seal had allowed her to overcharge it with chakra it should be all but indestructible, but yet even now as she attempted to reinforce the dome with more ice it seemed as if she could not maintain its structure. What was allowing him to create such a continuous fire technique like this?

"Tokuma!" She exclaimed as she struggled to maintain her barrier, prompting the man to ready himself as he looked into the dome. Ibaraki was more than likely attempting to weaken the dome's structure in order to blow it to pieces with his kekkei genkai, leaving them little choice but to attempt a maneuver they had only practiced twice over the past few days they had known each other.

Waiting for the ice panel in front of him to weaken, Tokuma dove headlong into the dome just as Kisa unleashed a barrage of steel senbon on the man, forcing him to cease fire attack to defend himself and allowing Tokuma a safe, direct approach towards him. This needed to end now, and if that was going to be the case, he had to utilize one of the Hyuga's strongest attacks.

Flickering up to Ibaraki through the fire and deflecting the man's attempt to blow him back, Tokuma planted his feet down to the ice below and reared his hand back to immediately start chipping away at his chakra points, disabling chakra flow through his left arm just above the elbow as well as several across both legs before he could appropriately react. Snarling in anger at the damage being dealt, Ibaraki grabbed ahold of Tokuma's striking hand with his right and used his to now chakra-devoid left to strike him in the face as hard as he could.

Staggering him back, Ibaraki then used his remaining chakra-active hand to form the signs required to created multiple shadow clones before joining them in swarming the Hyuga who, in conjunction with Kisa's assistance from her mirrors, lashed out at each individual Ibaraki to thin their ranks and discover the real one; Tokuma doing so a moment later and quickly dashing towards him.

Desperate to finish the fight, the Hyuga raised his right hand back and dashed towards the now senbon-peppered shinobi as he prepared to deal a possibly crippling Vacuum Palm to the man's chest, but just as he was about to do so the ground beneath the ice dome suddenly erupted, shattering the floor and allowing the massive rock fist of a stone golem to come flying in.

Spotting the attack below but unable to stop it or redirect his course, Tokuma could only grunt as the monster's punch collided with his whole body, sending him flying up through the roof of the weakened ice dome, through the air and then back down into the field; the force of his exit shattering what remained of the dome and causing Kisa to fly backwards out of it to the ground.

Grabbing her head as she realized what had happened, the girl's watched as Tokuma's limp body spin around and slammed into the muddied ground with a loud thud, causing her to gasp in horror.

"Tokuma!" She screamed as she stood back up to her feet and prepared to dash to his side, only to spot Ibaraki doing the same from the corner of her eye; his tantos once again in each hand, though only the right remained flushed with chakra due to the disrupted flow in his left arm.

Knowing that Ibaraki intended to kill Tokuma if he had survived the fall, Kisa charged forward without delay toward the two, quickly closed in on their aggressor and lifted her hand to strike him with her fist, though as she did so Ibaraki quickly spin into her and pierced her through the stomach with one of his blades, causing her to gasp in pain before her body disintegrated into water.

Spinning around just as the real girl emerged from a rapidly produced ice mirror behind him, Ibaraki attempted to move to avoid her impending attack but was too slow to do so due to both his injuries and his disrupted chakra flow, resulting in the girl closing the distance between them within an instant. This was her chance to inflict some major damage and she could think of no better attack than one of the special techniques she had learned during her time at the Hokage's side.

"GET AWAY!" She cried as her fist slammed full speed into the left side of Ibaraki's face and unleashed a large amount of chakra to amplify the strike, instantly shattering his mask and sending him flying off into the field in a death spin; crashing into the ground and tumbling violently up into the air several times before eventually sliding to a motionless stop in the mud.

Landing on her feet as she completely exited her mirror, Kisa watched Ibaraki come to a halt in disbelief that her plan had worked before quickly made her way to her fallen comrade's side. For his body to have shattered her ice would mean that he would have endured quite the blow, causing her to fear that he may have been killed as she slid to a stop by his side.

"Tokuma! Tokuma!" She exclaimed as she rolled him on his back and checked his pulse, letting out a short, thankful sigh as she did so. He was unconscious but alive and despite the extremely rough hit he did not appear to have any obvious life threatening injuries, though whether or not he had sustained any internal damage she was unsure.

Clapping her hands together to create a healing aurora, Kisa held it over Tokuma's head in the hope that he would wake up, though as she did so the man laying not far from her let out a pained gasp as he began to stir awake from his own trauma, causing the girl to growl under her breath.

Ceasing her attempt to awaken her teammate, the girl turned around to face their foe as he began to pull himself out of the mud. She could see he was now far more injured than before both by the sound of his breathing as well as the fact that he could barely stop shaking long enough to lift himself up, but this was exactly where she wanted him. With Tokuma down she needed the upper hand and it seemed that was indeed the case.

Holding her right hand out to the side as she formed an ice blade in her palm, Kisa walked until she was within twenty five feet of the man before stopping just as Ibaraki managed to bring himself to his knees; blood dripping down from the exposed face she could not yet see.

"That's enough. You've lost, and it's time you-" She began to order as Ibaraki violently coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked up at her in both pain and anger; the sight of the man's face causing her breath to quiver and her eyes to open wide in disbelief as there in front of her, covered in his own blood and struggling to stand, was the boy he had been searching for all along.

Choking down whatever garbled words came to her tongue, Kisa found herself thrown into her memories as images of the boys smile and whispers of his words flooded her mind, ranging from the first time they spoke until the last time she saw him; his voice so real that she swore it was coming from the boy right in front of her directly to her ears.

"_I'm not going to leave you alone. Not like this… not ever."_ The voice called as their eyes connected, causing her heart to beat faster and her stomach to twist into a knot. How could this be? How could he be here? She had hoped all along that she may run into him out here somewhere looking for Ibaraki, but never, ever in her wildest dreams or nightmares would she have thought this man could have actually been him!

"W-What…" She let out after a few seconds of staring at the boy in the hope that she was wrong, that she had misidentified him, but as she did reality began to set in, leaving her even more speechless as she became more certain by the second. Though his skin beneath the veil of caked blood and dirt was much darker in color than ever before and his eyes continued to glow, there was no doubt anymore; this was Akito.

But what had happened to him? If she was to judge based on his appearance alone, the skin and his hair, it seemed as if he had been cursed. This explained why he was able to do the things he did, such as create such an intense, steady fire while he was trapped inside of her dome, but how could this have happened? How did he become cursed?

"A-Akito?" The girl managed to finally formulate as she lowered her sword to her side and allowed it to return to water, instantly bringing the boy before her to shift his eyes to her own, though much to her surprise his face did not soften and instead turned to a scowl. Gripping his hands to the dirt, the boy slowly attempted to lift himself up from the dirt with a painful grunt.

"My name…" He groaned as he nearly faltered back to where he began before stopping himself; his eyes continuously fixed on Kisa's. On top of the injury to his side and the likely multiple internal injuries that had been dealt to him by both herself and Tokuma, she could see that beneath his left eye's darkened sclera blood was pooling, likely a result of the strike that broke his mask. Why was he acting like this? Was he suffering from shock or closed head trauma, likely because of her, or was it something else?

Balancing himself on his left arm with yet another agonizing groan, Akito used his right arm to reach underneath himself to his bloodied left side and dig into his armor, pulling out a large wad of clay that was then followed by a large rush of blood on the ground below, causing Kisa to gasp at the sight. There was quite a bit, some of which appeared to be clotted; did he just remove the clay medical ninjutsu he developed from his injured side? Why would he do that? If he continued to bleed like that he would die!

Watching as the hand holding the clay slowly devoured it as he held it beneath himself, Kisa's eyes grew wide as the boy ground his teeth and snarled.

"I-I don't know how you know my name, b-but now I can't let you leave this place!" He cried as he forced every bit of strength he had left into his feet and dashed forward towards the girl, causing her to gasp as she jumped back through the air to avoid his swing.

"Akito, wait! Stop!" She exclaimed as she again dodged his left hook followed by his even more dangerous right and forcing her to raise an ice wall up in front of her as he exhaled fire onto her. He didn't know who she was, but she knew him, making her a threat; if they escaped knowing her was Ibaraki it would put Iwa in a horrible situation they couldn't afford to be in, directly violating his mission.

"It's me, Kisa!" She added, though instead of yielding the man's eyes only grew brighter as his furious scowl only grew.

"Liar!" He snarled as he dashed forward towards her and kneed her in the stomach with what strength he had pulled out of his battered form, only to be knocked back as she pressed her open hand to his chest with her modified strength.

This wasn't working; he wasn't recognizing her and the longer this continued the more desperate he was going to become, risking both of their lives in the process. Why?! Sure, she looked different now as opposed to the last time she saw him, but couldn't he see past that?

"Akito, please!" She pleaded as she again dodged his swing and raised her leg to kick him back, but as she does so accidentally strikes him in his wounded side, causing him to cry out in pain as he stumbled back and eyed her up with murderous intent.

Unable to continue but needing to end this now, the boy staggered to a stop and placed his hands together after dropping the wad of clay his right hand had ingested to the ground while remaining connected to mouth on his right palm by a thin line.

"Y-You should have ran! I-I gave y-you a chance… b-but now you're going to find out why they called me Ibaraki; the thorn tree!" He exclaimed as he formed hand signs and caused the clay to dissipate into the mud, only to reappear moments later as multiple explosive clay spikes that pierced out of the ground in all directions like a vine bush and rushed towards her, leaving the girl with one last option to try and stop this. She wasn't going to hurt him again, not after everything she had already done, so if this didn't work she didn't know what she would do.

Planting her feet in the mud and taking a deep breath, the girl reached into the neck opening on her cloak, into her shirt and grabbed ahold of the sacred golden necklace that she had become inseparable from before quickly pulling up over her head to hold it out infront of her, instantly causing Akito's eyes to grow wide and a small gasp to leave his lips; the clay spikes coming from his hand abruptly ceasing their movement as he did so.

"T-That necklace… h-how… how did you…" He began to stutter as he stared at his clan's crest in her hands and then up to the face of the girl who held it; the deep fog that had been trapped in his mind since days prior lifting as he slowly came back to face reality and, for the first time in what felt like forever, his friend.

"K-K…" The boy stuttered as the memory of Kisa he knew flashed before him, clarifying his vision as the clay vines around him slowly melted down into a puddle and disappeared.

"K-Kisa… is… i-is that really you?" He questioned in shock, bringing Kisa to slowly nod as a sheepish yet uncontrollable smile formed across her lips; their eyes remaining locked to one another's. Could this really be happening?

"Yes, it's me. I'm here A-" She began to reply as she took a step towards the boy, only to recoil a bit in concern as he immediately ground his teeth together and clenched his fists.

"W-What are you doing out here, i-it's dangerous! I… I…" He snapped as he looked around them at the damage their fight had caused, including the unconscious Hyuga a short distance away from them, all while fighting the urge to throw up. How could this have happened; how could he have allowed himself to attack her!

"I-I could have killed you!" The boy continued as Kisa braved another step or two towards him despite his frustration. She had been so caught up in his realization of who she was that it only now dawned on her just how badly injured he was, as up close she could see that it appeared to be some kind of open injury similar to a stab wound that was causing him to bleed so profusely, likely from a sword or some other sharp, edged weapon.

"Akito, your injuries…" She tried to reason with him, bringing him to look into her eyes again for a moment before looking away in shame.

"I'm fine; you have to go! The men that I fought back Ame, if they f-find y-you here with me…" He said as he began to walk away, though as he did so Kisa quickly walked up to him and took his hand in hers to stop his retreat and gently cupped his cheek with the other before slowly turning him back towards her; their hearts simultaneously racing out of control as their eyes locked to one another's. She could see that he was in excruciating pain and that he was ashamed to have been found like this; both as Ibaraki, as well as cursed.

Content that the fight was over and now unable to focus on anything besides the boy at her fingertips, Kisa slowly allowed her curse mark to retract, returning her skin, hair and eyes to normal, leaving Akito to watch in continued disbelief. She looked so much different than when he last saw her, but that didn't seem to chase away the flutter he felt in his heart while looking at her.

"How did this happen? Was it him? Was it Orochimaru?" She questioned softly as she took a deep breath to combat the effects of the curse's closure and shook her head, causing the boy's eyes to lower once more in disgrace.

"N-No, it… it wasn't him." He began to reply as he looked away only to stop and let out a loud grunt of pain as his seal too began to retract, albeit involuntarily, starting with his hair and skin, the latter of which broke from its solid grey color down into crack-like patterns that slowly crept back away from his skin towards the back of his neck until his genuine completion returned.

Unlike her own, Akito's transformation back to norm didn't go smoothly, resulting in him collapsing down to his knees in exhaustion as Kisa let out a short gasp and knelt before him, making sure to keep hold of his shoulders so that he wouldn't fall forward.

"I've got you." The girl said as Akito placed a hand on her right shoulder to further stabilize himself, causing her to grow concerned over just how badly he was injured and how much blood he had lost. Slowly but carefully she pulled him a bit closer to allow him to lean against her body and placed a hand to his wounded to begin healing his side before biting the inside of her lip.

Even if she was overjoyed to find Akito it didn't change the fact that he, or more specifically his alias, was a wanted man and although she had not heard from the other group since the beginning of their fight she knew that it was only a matter of time before they showed up, and there was no telling just how they would react, especially after seeing what had happened to Tokuma.

"Akito… we were sent here to find Ibaraki. The others are going to be here soon, and I… I have to know what happened in Ame, to your side… why you are Ibaraki... all of it." She stated, causing the boy's now dimming eyes to look towards hers in hesitant silence before looking away as the girl formed a small frown. Whatever it was that he was doing out here it appeared to be top secret to the point that he was going to kill her for knowing his name before he knew hers, so she could tell he was still struggling with whether or not he made the right choice by allowing himself to yield, even after his mind had and cleared.

"Please." She repeated in an effort to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, leading him to look at her and subtle nod in agreement.

"I… I was on a mission to track the movement of the Akatsuki a-and their suspected allies around the Land of Earth and n-neighboring lands." He began as he swallowed what was left in his dry mouth and closed his eyes with a painful wince from her healing attempt.

"O-One of my targets headed into the L-Land of Rain and eventually made their way to Amegakure, so I followed… but when I got there I was ambushed by several dozen Ame ninja. I tried to fight them off so that I could escape but… but when I did one of the Akatsuki appeared and he…"

"H-He was too strong and used techniques and weapons I-I'd never seen before… h-he… he had these strange eyes and was able to control gravity. I tried to fight him but he somehow pulled me to him and s-stabbed me with this blade that he created in his hands, lodging it in my side." The boy continued, only to stop and grabbed Kisa's healing hand as a strong blast of pain pierced through him as if talking about the man in question caused it to hurt worse.

"I managed to break free and run, b-but when I tried to pull the blade out of my side I couldn't. No matter w-what I tried it was stuck, and on top of that I could feel him... trying to control me; like he was constantly pulling me down, trying to force me to stop. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept running until I couldn't take it anymore and I... I used my kekkei g-genkai to force it out."

Hearing him say he had used his explosive release to remove the blade, Kisa grew more concerned about the severity of his wound, prompting her to sit back a bit from the boy and look down at his side.

"I've never heard of someone being able to do anything like that." She stated as she looked into his eyes to silently ask if she could take a look before doing so at his consent. Gently reaching down to his side, the girl carefully tore away the tattered pieces of both his vest and the green coat beneath it to expose the wound, the sight of which made her cringe.

She knew that he had likely been pierced by something sharp, but it seemed that whatever it was that did left a large tear that pierced through his side and out the back, leaving a large wound surrounded by a burn mark she believed was caused by his attempt to dislodge the blade with his Exploding Palm. While it appeared he hadn't damaged his intestines and that attack seemed to have missed most of his vital organs, it did seem that the majority of the bleeding came from what could be a knick in his left kidney or another organ close to it; wounds that should have killed him by now.

"God, Akito… this is really bad. How long ago did this happen?" She asked as she slid her hand beneath his clothing to his bare skin and ramped up her efforts to close the wound, causing the boy to wince in pain as she did so.

"I-I don't know, a few days... I lost track."

"How did you keep going? This wound, it… it should have killed you." She stated with a deep hint of concern as their eyes returned to one another, leading him to look down at her hand on his skin.

"The same clay technique I used t-to save you after Raigetsu attacked. It worked at first, b-but the bleeding just continued." The boy replied as he tried to catch his breath, bringing the girl to frown as she recalled how he removed what she now assumed was the clay he had used as his final attack from his side, likely because he had run out of fresh clay.

"Taking out the clay made it worse. You should have just used different techniques… idiot." She joked as she often did to try to hide her concern, causing him to form a small grin that faded quickly from his exhaustion.

"I w-would have, but after what happened in Ame I've barely been able to recover my chakra. I-I don't know if it has something to do with that man but I-I can still feel his control, and I've been stuck w-with my curse mark activated ever since then just to survive." He stated as the girl again grew more concerned, but at his mention of his curse mark her eyes widened and turned to his neck.

"Curse mark." She stated aloud in thought as she subconsciously reached up for his neck with her free hand and paused, waiting for him to again give her permission to come closer before reaching up to his neck.

It was surprising to her that even after everything that had happened, their time away from one another and her nearly killing him, that he still trusted her; going from a bloody thirsty maniac to her best friend all over again in a matter of a second, or so it seemed. It was still too early to see just what damage her vicious attempt of his life months prior had caused, but right now she didn't have time to try and figure it out.

Kneeling up straight as she carefully she placed her fingertips beneath his cloak, the girl cautiously pulled his tattered shirt back enough to catch a glimpse of the glowing symbol on his back.

Unlike her own symbol which was a symbol, Akito's seal appeared to be a simple circle divided down the middle but there was something else, something she remembered from her years by Jun's side; a kill seal intended to kill the bearer should they deviate from the control of those who place it.

"This curse… if it didn't come from Orochimaru, then who?" She questioned as Akito again looked into her eyes and began to nod, only to freeze in place; his eyes widening as a grunt of pain escaped his lips.

"Akito?" She asked in a bit of panic before looking down and spotting a black shadow on the ground around his body that stretched from where they knelt to the treeline across the field, though before she could warn him of the other's approach the group of three shinobi flickered to their side; their clothes just as tattered and muddied as her own.

"Gotcha!" Koji exclaimed as he planted his feet to the ground and took over where his shadow clone had started in the distance, allowing him to look at Ibaraki up close before switching his eyes to Tokuma in the distance and then onto Kisa at the realization that she healing him, not restraining him.

"Wait, what are you doing? Are you healing when Tokuma is down?!" He questioned frantically with a hint of anger, causing the girl to swallow nervously.

"I already checked on Tokuma. He's unconscious and a little banged up but he's going to be okay. Akito, on the other hand, is not. He's critically injured and needs help or he could die." She added calmly to show that her decision was logical rather than emotional as Takao's eyes widened.

"Akito?" He questioned as he tried to get a better look at the boy before being interrupted by Koji's scoff, having not seen things the way Kisa was describing them.

"Who cares, he's the enemy; the one who we've been looking for because of what he did in Ame!" He exclaimed as he shifted his shadow up Akito's neck and grabbed him by the throat, causing him to grunt and shift his eyes towards the man holding him down as they once again began to glow. Seeing what was happening and knowing full well what someone with a cursed seal was capable of when they were trapped and desperate, Kisa quickly pull Akito's head into a rushed hug at her chest to try and keep him calm and prevent him from lashing out and putting his life, as well as Koji's, at risk

"Koji, stop! You're making this worse!" She warned as she held her hand out towards him, just as Tamiko, who had made her way to Tokuma's side upon their arrival at the scene of their fight, knelt down by their squad leader's side. Holding her hand flat she formed a small aurora of light and placed her palm to the man's forehead, slowly bringing him back to them as her work finished what Kisa had started a short time prior.

Opening his eyes, the Hyuga looked up to Tamiko through the pouring rain and blinked; his head pounding as a million questions immediately flooded into his mind.

"Tamiko, you're here... what happened?" He asked as he sat himself up and immediately looked over to the three other members of his team as well as the man they had been hunting; his head pulled into a tight hug against Kisa's chest as she pleaded with Koji to stop doing whatever ninjutsu his hands indicated he was utilizing.

"Turns out Ibraki is someone that Kisa and Takao know, and big idiot Koji over there is currently strangling him despite the fact that he is clearly defeated." She stated as lifted himself up to his feet completely to his feet with her assistance, just as Takao stepped forward towards Koji to try and reason with him.

"Hold up, Koji. This isn't really necessary. Akito isn't going to attack us; there's just no way." He stated as the shadow-wielder ground his teeth in frustration.

"Not going to attack us, were you even in the same fight as us back there? This guy, this freak, almost killed us, and that was only a clone! We were lucky to have made it out of there with only scrapes and bruises! Besides, if he's your friend, why did he attack us in the first place?!" He stated as Takao rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well to be honest I'm not sure, but there has to be an explanation." He replied as Koji again scoffed and turned his attention back to Kisa.

"Exactly; now get away from him so that I can knock him out! You can heal him when he's bound and no longer a threat!" He ordered, though before Kisa could reply Tokuma spoke up to interrupt the fight before it could escalate any further.

"That's enough!" He exclaimed, instantly causing all three of his team members to turn to him to him as both he and Tamiko returned to the fold; the Hyuga's eyes shifting from Koji to Takao before landing on both Kisa and Ibaraki who, much to his surprise, did appear to be the one he knew from pacing glances in the streets of Konoha. He was Ibaraki?

"Is it true that Akito Himaku is Ibaraki?" He asked as he looked to his partner as she continued to hold the boy close, to which she nodded nervously in reply despite not knowing what Tokuma planned to do to him.

"Yes." She replied, causing Tokuma's eyes to shift to the boy's. He could see the slight glow in his eyes and somewhat angered scowl across his face, though it seemed as if it was fading or atleast paused for the moment, as well as his tattered, trembling body.

"Do you think he is a threat to us anymore?" The man asked as Koji gasped.

"Wha-" He attempted to interrupt, only to be stopped by Tokuma as he raised his hand to let Kisa speak as her eyes tracked from Tokuma's motion to Koji and then back to Akito in her arms; his own eyes looking up to hers in a concerned way that caused her heart to ache. She knew he was afraid and that she was his protector in all of this, leading her to swallow nervously as she nodded.

"No. Akito isn't going to hurt us." She stated as Tokuma looked down to the two for a minute longer before letting out a deep breath and turning to Koji.

"Let him go." He ordered as the Nara beside him grew increasingly frustrated.

"Are you kidding me?!" Koji immediately questioned, though after a second or two of staring into Tokuma's unwavering glare he simply did as he was instructed, releasing the boy and allowing him to once again have control of his own body that, after being forced to remain perfectly still in his condition as he was choked, collapsed into Kisa, prompting her to again grab ahold of him to keep him from falling.

"It's okay, I've got you." She again whispered as she helped steady his sway while Takao quickly approached their side and knelt down; a wide grin across his face as he pulled his hood down to fully reveal his face.

"Heh, I thought that was you; fucky, smartmouthed clay clones and all. When did you pick up swordsmanship? Your form is trash, but I'm impressed nonetheless." He stated with a chuckle as the exhausted boy shook his head and looked up to him.

"I-I'll tell you about it another day." He stated with a miniscule smile before returning his attention back to Tokuma as he stood over the three with his arms crossed; not entirely sure exactly what to think of the whole situation at hand.

"I'm sure you understand that regardless of your standing with Iwa as well as Konoha you will need to come back with us for questioning after what happened both here and in Ame, correct?" He asked, prompting the boy to nod as Tokuma lowered his arms to his side and looked over him once more while taking note of his injured side.

"Alright. In that case we will allow you to remain conscious, but as a precaution I will you to remain bound for the remainder of our trip back to the Hidden Leaf." He stated as he tossed a pair of cuffs into Takao's hands before turning back to Kisa, who he could already see was growing concerned about her friend.

"Continue to heal him. He's you friend… he doesn't deserve to die because of neglect." He stated before turning to walk towards Koji to receive report of what they had encountered on their part of this mission, only to stop as Kisa spoke up.

"Wait, Tokuma." She called out to him as he turned around and looked at them over his shoulder silently.

"Thank you."

Hearing her thanks, Tokuma simply formed a small smile and nodded before continuing on his walk, allowing Kisa to return her attention to Akito as their eyes once again met in a lasting stare, allowing her to watch the glow disappear before moving to stop the bleeding in his side; her mind still in complete disbelief. Akito was here, and despite what trouble may lie ahead because of whatever had happened, he was safe… and that was all she could ask for.


	25. Chapter 25: Covert

Coming to the top of the stairs, Shizune quickly opened the door to the Hokage's office, stepped inside and looked around the room at the group of three shinobi as she tried her best to put on a small, believable smile.

"Lady Tsunade will be with you all shortly. I apologize for the delay but we certainly didn't expect anyone else to arrive at the village so late and especially not you guys." She stated as she looked to the group, more specifically Tokuma, as he leaned up against the wall closest to the door she had just entered.

"Thank you Miss Shizune, but there is no need to apologize. It's late and if it wouldn't have been for the circumstances at hand, I would have suggested waiting until tomorrow, but I figured this would be best done tonight." He replied as he looked over at their captive who now a short-sleeved version of Konoha's blue shinobi uniform to change him out of the tattered clothing they originally found him in and help disguise his presence; his bandages once again wrapping from beneath his sleeves all the way down to his hands which, as a precaution, remained shackled behind his back as he sat quietly on a backless chair in front of Tsunade's desk, staring at the ground.

It had been two days since they subdued the boy from the Hidden Stone and started their journey back to Konoha, and although he had allowed Kisa to heal Akito enough so that he would not die from his injuries, he was still banged up and quite tired. This was intentionally done on Tokuma's suggestion to keep him from changing his mind and attacking the group despite Kisa's objection, though ultimately it was Akito who agreed to voluntarily remain in his weakened state, especially after hearing Tokuma's concern over the boy's curse mark.

"I understand. In all honesty it's what we get for trying to close up shop early for once." She replied as her eyes shifted over to Akito for a moment as the late afternoon sun bathed his bruised face before shifting on to Kisa who,much to her surprise, was standing against the wall across the room, although her eyes remained locked to him at all times in deep thought. Neither she nor Akito had said a single word since they arrived and while she understood the grave nature of what was happening she found the silence deafening.

"Would either of you like something to drink? Water, tea… maybe something alcoholic?" She questioned jokingly to liven the mood as Tokuma shook his head and Kisa looked up to her, formed a soft smile and did the same.

"No thank you, Shizune. I'm alright." She replied, bringing Shizune to bite the inside of her lip for a moment before turning her attention to Akito. She knew that offering a prisoner something like this was typically taboo, but being that this prisoner in specific was someone that had long been apart of Konoha's community, she thought it acceptable to ask.

"Akito?" She inquired, though just like the others the boy shook his head and declined, causing Kisa to bite her lip as she rubbed her arms uncomfortably.

"I'm alright." He replied somberly, though Kisa knew better than to believe that this was the truth. They had been marching non-stop for the past few days in order to make it back here before anyone else hunting Ibaraki could catch up to them with few stops, and with how injured and drained he had been she knew he was likely in need.

Ever since they first found Akito back in Kinzoku Town she had been keeping an eye on him to make sure he stayed safe, watching as he purposely kept himself secluded from the group, avoiding conversation and eye contact as much as he could, and even refusing to eat and drink when allowed.

She understood why; the things that he was accused of were severe and if not vindicated could result in serious trouble, not only for himself but for Iwa, but that didn't make her any less concerned and it certainly didn't keep her from secretly yearning to alleviate some of the fear and anxiety she saw in his eyes.

However, as much as she wanted to sit beside him and tell him it was going to be okay, she could not. Tokuma may have agreed to allowing her to take care of him and keep him calm, but deep inside she knew he was hesitant to do so and, even worse, was again questioning her loyalty, forcing her to stave off the almost overwhelming desire to talk to him as the friend he once was; to pick up where they had left off all those months ago, though if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't quite sure what there was left to pick up.

This was not the time to be worrying about where they stood with one another, but she couldn't seem to keep herself from doing just that. She had been stressing over what damage her unintentional attempt on his life would have on their relationship since way back when he was first taken from her, always leading her to hope and pray that he would forgive her, but now, with him right here beside her once again, it all felt too up to chance.

She had only been able to share a few exchanges of words with him over the past few days, all of which seemed to be rather neutral or friendly, and from the look on his face when he first saw that it was her he was fighting she knew he was concerned about her well being, but did that mean he didn't hate her after all? If so, what did he feel? Hurt? That would be just as bad as if he hated her; for her to know that she had caused him such hurt, or atleast, more than she already had by attempting to leave him behind.

Watching the brief exchange between the two, Shizune formed a small, discreet grin on her lips and crossed her arms. It seemed that the two still shared some sort of connection to one another even after everything that had happened, and to her that was quite amazing, even if they didn't quite see it.

"Well if you need anything please ask." She replied as she looked back at Kisa, gave her a reassuring smile and then turned her attention to Tokuma.

"So I know that Takao has gone to get Lady Tsunade, but where are the other two members of your team, Koji and Tamiko?" She questioned as Tokuma crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Tamiko had some business to attend too with her clan and as for Koji, well, I asked him to skip out on the briefing. Ever since we came across our guest here he's been… irritating." He replied as Kisa scowled. Koji hadn't just been irritating, he had been completely unbearable to the point where she had bumped heads with him more than once on their two day journey home, constantly threatening Akito in a way that reminded her of how Jun had treated him, and she didn't like it.

"Ah, well. Koji's always been hotheaded, you know that." She replied as she shifted her questions towards their journey north to Kinzoku Town, allowing Kisa an opportunity to move a bit closer to Akito without Tokuma's direct attention, though he continued to watch her occasionally regardless.

"You can have a drink if you need one, Akito. It's okay." She stated as she came to a stop in front of him and continued to nervously rubbed her arms with worry, but he again shook his head, lifting it up just enough to look at her through his hair as his lips formed an almost invisible smile.

"I'm alright, Kisa. I'm not a guest here anymore… I'm a prisoner. I attacked you, Tokuma and the others… I deserve to be." He stated as his eyes drifted solemnly down momentarily before darting back up with a renewed smile.

"But… thank you for watching out for me, even after what happened. Without you I... I don't think I would still be alive." He stated, again questioning her inner beliefs about how he felt towards her as her hand reached up and subconsciously grabbed his necklace. Did he really believe he deserved to be there?

Sure, he attacked them, but it was out of necessity more than anything. They followed him and tried to capture him by force without understanding what exactly he had gone through, similar to what had happened with Raigetsu months prior, leading her to believe he would have done the same thing in his shoes. Was this why he deserved to be in chains or was it something else?

"Akito… everything is going to be okay. You know that, right? Lady Tsunade is going to understand whatever it is that happened, just like I do. I know you better than to think you would just kill these people, there had to be a reason… and Tsunade will see that too." She said softly with concern in her voice, again bringing the boy's vision to connect with hers once again.

"I hope so." He replied as the two stared into one another's eyes for a moment before turning with the others towards the office door as it opened, allowing the Hokage, Takao and two other Konoha shinobi to enter the office without a single word.

Coming to a stop just short of the door as one of her two guards closed it, Tsunade's eyes immediately descended down onto the boy in the chair; their eyes locking to one another's briefly before he abruptly turned forward and looked back down at his feet in shame. Seeing this the Hokage continued forward towards the boy and made her way between him and the desk, standing there silently for a moment or two before speaking.

"Akito." She said in the hope that he would look at her, though after a few seconds of silence she spoke again, this time giving a more direct command as Takao made his way to Kisa's side. From this angle she could see what Takao had mentioned about the boy now being cursed as well, the mark for which stuck a tiny bit out from beneath both his hair and the collar on the shirt he was wearing.

"Look at me, Akito." The Hokage said in a stern yet soft tone, bringing him to slowly shake his head.

"I don't deserve to, Madam Hokage." He replied as Tsunade's eyes widened a bit in shock, both at his demeanor as well as the fact that he had addressed her as madam; a clear deviation from the appropriate yet lax way he had always addressed her in the past. He had always been humble, but this was not the Akito she had known all this time, and much like Kisa she didn't like it.

Looking to break him of this unusual behavior, the Hokage reached out to his face with her hand and gently took his chin with her hand, softly forcing his head up to look at her with little resistance, allowing her to gaze into his eyes without hindrance. The bruises across his face and the large one in particular around his left eye made it clear that he was hurt, but what she could see in his eyes was that the wounds ran much deeper than his skin.

Taking a deep yet quiet breath, the Hokage gently allowed his head to lower to a neutral position before turning and walking to her chair behind the desk, all while placing her hands behind her back in thought as she looked over at one of her guards.

"Unbind him." She instructed, instantly causing the shinobi to widen his eyes in surprise.

"Madam Hokage, I understand that this man is someone you know, but given the circumstances I'm not sure that is the best course of action. If something happens-" He began to protest as the Hokage stopped in her tracks and turned towards the shinobi objecting to her instruction with a slightly irritated stare.

"You may not understand Akito's history here in Konoha but I assure you he is no threat to the village, let alone to me. However, if you are afraid of someone like him, you can leave." She replied, prompting the shinobi to shake his head.

"N-No Madam Hokage, please forgive me." He stated as he quickly did as he was asked, moving to behind the boy and kneeling down to unchain him as Tsunade came to her chair. Sitting down and placing her hands together as Akito pulled his hands to his lap and rubbed the palm of his left hand, the mouth on which had sealed up due to the lack of chakra flow to it over the last few days.

"Thank you, Madam Hokage." The boy stated quietly as he finished rubbing his hand and looked back up to her sheepishly, causing her to laugh under her breath at his continued pleasantries.

"You know better than to call me that, Akito; trouble or not. Now, as for the reason you are here... Takao has informed me that you are the mysterious ninja known as Ibaraki. Is that true?" She questioned, to which Akito slowly nodded.

"Yes." The replied as the Hokage shifted her head to lean towards her opposite shoulder.

"Then you are already aware of the mess you created in Ame due to your actions, then. I have to warn you that several of the villages including Ame all believe this was the work of the Akatsuki." She stated as her eyes drifted to Tokuma and then to Kisa before returning to Akito.

"I know you well enough to believe that is not the case, but I need to hear it from your own mouth." She added as Akito looked up to her and shook his head.

"I'm not working for the Akatsuki… I promise. All of this, everything I've been doing for the past two months, has been in an effort to disrupt and hinder their growth... not to help them." He replied as the Hokage stared at him and let out a silent sigh as she did so. She could tell he was telling the truth and was quite relieved to hear it, but that didn't answer all of the many questions she had built up on her way over here from her apartment.

"So you're working against them? That's good to hear, though I'm surprised your grandfather would allow you to do so by yourself after everything that has happened." Tsunade replied as the boy looked down and nodded.

"He wasn't keen on the idea, but like many other villages we are stretched thin with trying to keep tabs on the Akatsuki's movement, leaving me with little choice." Akito added, again bringing the Hokage to nod as she this time pulled her hands to her mouth in thought.

"What exactly brought you to Ame in the first place? Given your history with the Hidden Rain I can't imagine going to that place was an easy decision, so I can only assume going there was absolutely necessary." She stated, bringing Kisa to turn back to Akito, knowing as well as Tsunade that for Akito to go there after what they had done to him his target must have been important, but just _how_ important? Going into Ame, a village that traditionally did not play well with others, was dangerous enough, but going in with the intent of spying was another; especially when the Akatsuki was involved. On top of that, Ame was a place she knew he hated, so whoever he was following must have been of major significance.

"It wasn't. I was tracking a group of shinobi who Iwa's intelligence believed were working with, or at least attempting to work with, the Akatsuki. I picked up their trail up in the northernmost regions of the Land of Earth, almost into the Land of Iron, and followed them all the way to Ame."

"I entered the city through one of the main stormwater drain systems leading out of the city just as they had done, made my way to the street and blended in with the citizens around me, but when I neared the heart of the city they vanished and I was ambushed. At first it was just Ame shinobi, but after a short time one of the Akatsuki showed up and joined in." He stated as his eyes drifted to the floor in an attempt to recall everything that had happened.

"He was strong, and no matter what I did I couldn't get the upper hand. He had these strange eyes and was able to manipulate gravity; pulling and pushing me whenever he saw fit. He caught me off guard and pulled me into this strange chakra-based blade he had formed in his hands, stabbing me in the side and forcing me to retreat for my life. I got away, but I… I still don't know how." The boy added as all eyes in the room remained silently locked on him, each waiting to hear Tsunade's input as she pulled her hands to her mouth in thought.

"I'm not surprised that the Akatsuki has some sort of presence there as it's been long rumored that they were involved in starting the civil war that has been afflicting Ame for quite some time now. Do you have any evidence that they are working out of Ame as a home base?" She questioned in reply, to which Akito shook his head.

"I'm not sure. None of what I've seen would suggest that the Akatsuki was using Ame as anything other than a meeting location, but that doesn't rule anything out." The boy replied as Tsunade again nodded in acknowledgement of what he was saying and took a deep breath from behind her hands.

"What about the damage done to Ame; the civilians that were killed and the damage done to the village. If you were truly there for no other reason than to track this group and to discover their connection to the Akatsuki, why cause such death and destruction? Was it just collateral damage, done purely to escape or did your anger get the best of you?" She questioned in a somewhat straightforward and cold manner, bringing his eyes to snap to hers before quickly looking down at the floor in shame.

"It… it wasn't on purpose. Any damage I caused was a result of the battle, and the things they said I did… I promise you I didn't." The boy replied, causing Tsunade to stare at him for a moment as she tapped her pointer fingers together.

"And this business as Ibaraki, I assume it is over now?" She asked next to which he nodded.

"I never gave that name to myself, but with everything that has happened I know that I can no longer track the Akatsuki as Ibaraki. As far as I'm concerned, the man named Ibaraki died at the hands of Konoha shinobi two days ago." He stated, though instead of being relieved she looked up at his neck, once again thinking about the curse mark that she could not see from this angle.

She desperately wanted to pry into the reason why he held such a dangerous thing on his neck, especially since it did not appear to have come from Orochimaru based on looks alone, but given the moment she felt it would be better off discussed later and instead prepared herself to ask the kindhearted boy she had come to know well an even more difficult yet sought after question.

"Was _she_ there, Akito?" She questioned, causing Kisa's eyes to widen a bit as her mind immediately shifted to Akito's first partner; Clove. Could she really have been there, and if so, was she one of the ones that attacked him the streets? Although initially concerned, Kisa couldn't help but feel a tad bit jealous that he may have run into that vile woman again, causing her to grip the necklace she had been holding a bit tighter as Akito looked up to the desk in front of him before lowering his eyes and shaking his head.

"No… they haven't been there in a long, long time." He stated, leading Kisa to let out a small sigh of relief and Tsunade to nod as a silence fell over the group; the Hokage silently trying to decide her best course of action for nearly a minute before taking a deep breath and lowering her hands to the desk.

"So this is where you've been all this time, then." She stated with a hint of sarcasm as she replayed everything that he had just told her in her mind, trying to make sense of it all.

"It sure would have been nice of you to stop in and let us know you were alive. When Onoki took you back home you were in rough shape, riding the border between life and death. I tried several times to reach out to Iwa in order to get what I hoped would be good news, but for whatever reason my calls went unanswered. The least you could have done was stop by to show us you were alright." She complained, bringing Akito to turn his head away from the desk even further away in shame. He knew that they were likely worried, especially Kisa, but it wasn't as simple as just showing up to say hello. Nothing was simple anymore.

"I know, I'm… I'm sorry. I wanted to return, but things are more complicated than ever before, and I was asked to refrain from returning to Konoha... at least for the time being." He replied as Kisa held her breath, unable to shake the thought that she may be the reason things were complicated. Although he had been kind to her before his departure, she knew that the Tsuchikage was angry that she had put him in such a bad situation, and she couldn't help but feel that he was instructed not to return because of her. Could that really be?

Hearing his reply and understanding that things all over the world were certainly more complicated as he said, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction and sighed.

"I understand, and I believe what you've told me here today, but while I may have the final say on many things, this is one of those things that I do not. Clearing you of the crimes you are accused of and sealing the file on Ibaraki is a tall task, and as such I will need to present what you've told me to the the Village Council; a task that, as you already know, may take some time." She stated as Akito looked up at her through his hair and nodded before holding out his hands in front of him. To him this meant that he would be detained until that time and expected wholeheartedly to be restrained once more, though much to his surprise the Hokage shook her head.

"I don't think that will be necessary, nor will locking you in a cell." She replied as she stared at the boy for a moment before turning her attention to Kisa and Takao to her right; her hands raising up to her mouth in deep thought as she did so. Normally the situation would call for someone like him to be locked under the tightest of security, but given his affiliation to both Iwa and Konoha as well as her past connection to the boy she found herself hesitant to do just that, leading her to instead make a unique call.

"Given the circumstances I believe that leaving Akito under your watch is appropriate, wouldn't you agree? I mean, so long as you feel up to the task." She questioned, catching the two off guard though Kisa, who dreaded at the thought of having to watch Akito be locked behind a cell door, quickly stepped forward to accept the Hokage's subtle offer.

"Yes Lady Tsunade, we will keep an eye on him." The girl responded as Tsunade grinned.

"Good. He will be your responsibility, meaning that if he runs it will be you two, but something tells me that won't be an issue."

"I should be in contact within a few days to let you know what the Council has decided, but until then you are not to leave their side. Understood?" Tsunade then questioned as Akito stood up and bowed down in a humble manner, grateful for her kindness in this dark time.

"I understand. Thank you, Lady Tsunade." He replied as the boy looked over to Takao and then Kisa, exchanging a brief smile with the girl before turning back to the Hokage as she spoke out again.

"Akito, you may go with Takao back to their apartment. Kisa, if you wouldn't mind, I would like you to stay here for a minute or two longer, just so that I can get you and Tokuma's side of the story. Alright?" She asked as Kisa nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade." The girl replied as she again locked eyes to Akito, only to look at Takao as he grabbed Akito in a head lock and grew a wide grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"Oh don't worry, if he tries to run, I'll break his legs!" He exclaimed as rustled Akito's hair, let him loose and turned towards the office door, leaving the somewhat frustrated boy to again look towards his friend with a small yet warm smile that disappeared as he turned around and followed Takao out of the office and down the stairs, leaving the girl standing still with a sigh of relief.

It seemed that Tsunade believed his story enough to avoid locking him jail, and that was a good sign, but what she never expected was for the Hokage to allow her to keep watch over him. Sure it was certainly better than letting him rot in a cell, but now there no avoiding what she had both longed for as well as feared; time with him at last.

Watching Kisa stare aimlessly at the door for a moment or two, Tsunade leaned forward on the desk and formed a smile.

"Well, I believe that congratulations are in order. You and your team managed to investigate and close the case successfully without much trouble, everyone came home safe and we can now scratch Ibaraki off of our wanted list." She stated as the two turned back towards the Hokage and Shizune, prompting Tokuma to cross his arms as he walked towards them.

"Everything went well and I'm very grateful for that. Things were a little rough when we first made it to Kinzoku Town since the people there weren't very keen on helping us, but we made due." He replied as the Hokage chuckled under her breath.

"The Kinzoku Town mining company has never really agreed with the way we conduct business here in Konoha so I'm not at all surprised to see that they were initially less than helpful, and even when they did so it was likely only due to the security threat Ibaraki had caused." She replied as she turned back to Kisa and turned her small smile into an almost mischievous grin, though she redirected her attention back to an apparently weary Tokuma.

"On that note, I look forward to hearing your full debriefing, but believe that it could wait until tomorrow morning. I can see that all of you are exhausted and are eager to enjoy some time off your feet, so as long as you don't have anything else to add you are free to go." She stated as Tokuma, who was still recovering from the rough impact he suffered at the hands of Ibaraki, nodded in agreement. He could see that he was not the only one who was tired and understood that this was also her way of stating that she wished to return home, although with how much time she had been spending at the office later he couldn't blame her.

"No Lady Tsunade, it can wait until tomorrow morning for sure. You already know the gist of what happened, and my report is not much different than what you've already been told." He replied as the Hokage's eyes narrowed on him with a nod.

"Excellent. You can stop by my office at any point tomorrow to tell me all about it, but, before you go, I do have a question." She stated as she looked to Kisa and then to the empty chair in front of her. She hadn't really thought about it a few minutes prior but in all essence she had just allowed the man Tokuma had strived to locate to wall free, without truly knowing his side of the story.

"Do you think my decision to let Akito go free for the time being was a mistake? I know I've already made the decision, but your team was the one who fought and captured him, so I feel it is only right to ask your opinion. If you think he is too dangerous to be roaming free, even under Kisa and Takao's watch, I will have him arrested again." She stated, causing Kisa to let out a short gasp under her breath; her eyes immediately shifting to Tokuma with worry as her heart beat faster in her chest. She understood asking for his opinion, but would she really go back on her word to allow him to be free?

Hearing the Hokage's question the Hyuga's eyes widened a bit in surprise that she would ask him this now, after she had already allowed the boy to be placed on a sort of supervised release at the hands of her friends. He had no intention of questioning her decision nor did he expect to be asked his opinion on the matter, so this came as quite the surprise that left him looking over at Kisa for a moment as he collected his thoughts for a second or two before finally speaking.

"He may have attacked us when we first encountered him, but given everything that was happening and the circumstances of his capture I can't exactly blame him. Since discovering that Kisa and Takao were amongst those after him he hasn't once resisted command nor has he given us trouble, and although I still have my reservations about his true intent in Ame, I do not believe Akito Himaku is dangerous. At least not to Konoha." He replied as he turned back to Tsunade in reassurance of her decision, bringing the Hokage to grin as she spotted Kisa exhale in relief to her side.

"That's what I was hoping to hear. I will see you tomorrow Tokuma, get some rest. You deserve it, as does the rest of your team." She stated, at which point Tokuma bowed, looked towards Kisa and again displayed the same controlled smile as he had the night day captured Akito, and then turned to exit the Hokage's office, leaving Kisa standing alone as she prepared to excuse herself as well.

However before she could do so, the Hokage sat back in her chair and cast her yet another sly, mischievous look and cleared her throat.

"Hiroshi, Sora; would you mind stepping out for a moment so that Shizune and I may speak to Miss Hakaru in private?" She asked aloud as both men bowed and exited as well, causing Kisa to worry. They wanted to speak to her in private? Was she in trouble or was this directly relevant to Akito, or could it be both?

Waiting for the door to close all the way behind the two men as they crept down the stairs, Kisa slowly stepped forward towards the smiling Hokage and swallowed nervously.

"Is something wrong, Lady Tsunade?" She asked as the Hokage, who could hold back her laugh no longer, lightly chuckled and shook her head.

"Oh, no, nothings wrong. In fact, it seems like it's quite the opposite, isn't it Shizune?" She asked as she looked over her shoulder to her assistant who harbored a small grin as well.

"It would appear so. The mission was a great success and atop that Akito has come back to us, even if it was in handcuffs. I certainly wasn't expecting that."

Hearing Shizune's reply, Tsunade beamed back to Kisa who now harbored a slight blush as the realization that this was all over Akito set in.

"Yes, it… it was a surprise. I knew something was up throughout the fight, but I never expected that it was him beneath the mask." She replied as Tsunade grinned wider.

"But it was a welcomed surprise, wasn't it? I'm sure you're happy to see him after all this time, eh?" The Hokage questioned, furthering the red color on her face as she subtly nodded and prepared to reply, but as she did so her mind got the better of her, prompting her to bite her lip as she constructed a more professional reply.

"It is nice to see him, but I'm just glad that the mission went well and that Ibaraki will no longer be a threat to anyone." She stated, though as she did so Tsunade shook her head with a laugh, not falling for Kisa's attempt to save face in the least bit.

"Please. Do you really think that Shizune and I are that naive?" She questioned much to the girl's dismay, forcing her to swallow what little bit of saliva had built up in her mouth before looking up to the Hokage and nodding in embarrassment.

"Y-Yes, Lady Tsunade, I'm… I'm glad he's safe." Kisa replied, bringing both women across from her to smile, though the Hokage's was far wider, and leading Shizune to shake her head.

"We don't mean to push you, we just know better. There's no need to lie to us about something like this, and certainly no reason to lie to yourself. You are allowed to have feelings, especially for someone like Akito. He's a good man and he cares about you." She stated as the sat back in her chair, placed her hands together and turned out towards the setting sun in the distance, allowing her grin to reel itself back in to normal levels in the process.

"Shizune's right. I didn't mean to embarrass you at all, I just… know what it is like to care for someone as deeply as you care for Akito." The Hokage added, much to the embarrassed girl's surprise. She had spent a great deal of time with the Hokage and Shizune over the past few months, and although the latter had briefly mentioned that Tsunade was at one time dating her uncle she had never heard the full story.

"You, Lady Tsunade? I don't necessarily take you as the kind of woman to date and had always just assumed that when you wanted a husband you would just… well… take one." Kisa replied jokingly, causing Tsunade to look at the girl as she let out a laugh under her breath and shook her head in amusement.

"Well, I'm not sure if I should be offended or not." She replied as she turned back to the window.

"For the most part you are correct. Now? No, I don't date. But there was a time where I once did, and I was lucky to find a great man in Shizune's uncle, Dan." She stated as Dan's happy yet painful memory passed through her mind. Much like Kisa was with Akito she too was fascinated by Dan, though her relationship was cut far shorter than she could have ever hoped, prompting her to look back towards the curious girl with a soft smile.

"There is a reason I am bringing this all up. You and Akito have something special between the two of you, something that only comes around once in a lifetime, and I don't want it to be taken from the two of you before you fully realize it exists. Life is too short to keep your feelings to yourself, especially if you know how he feels in return." Tsunade added, once again furthering Kisa's blush as she looked away out of embarrassment. Akito had only just returned and she was already pushing her to tell him how she felt? Didn't she understand what she had done to him? Did she really think he still felt the same?

"I… I don't know, Lady Tsunade. After what happened in March, I… I'm not sure he feels the same way anymore." Kisa admitted in response as Tsunade looked to her and shook her head.

"How many times have we had this conversation, Kisa?" She questioned as Kisa looked away. The answer to Tsunade's question was a lot; they've had this conversation many times over the past few months, but that didn't keep the thought of Akito hating her from leaving her mind. She was the reason he nearly died and the reason he was taken from Konoha in the first place. What if that was why all of this happened?

"I know, I know, but I… I nearly killed him. How could he ever forgive me for that? What if all of this, his involvement as Ibaraki and the curse… what if it was all because of me?" The girl asked in reply as Tsunade looked at her.

"Despite what people believe, I don't know all the answers to everything. There is a chance that this may be related to what happened back then, but that is something you will need to find out yourself." The Hokage stated as she watched Kisa's lips turn downward into a concerned frown and her hands tighten on the necklace around her neck, leading her to again smile as she let out a small, compassionate sigh.

"But I will tell you this… from the way he looked at you here in this office today, I _still _have a hard time believing he holds any other feelings besides those he had before the accident." Tsunade continued, bringing Kisa to bite the inside of her lip. Could that really, really be true? Was that why even after everything that had happened he continued to look at her with such soft, caring eyes? Was that why he still trusted her to keep him safe?

"There is one thing, though. I didn't want to bring this up while he was here, but not knowing the details regarding Akito's curse and where it came from make it dangerous. Based on what I've seen and been told, and in comparison to how you reacted when you first received Orochimaru's curse, it would appear that he's maintained significant control over whatever it is, but you of all people know just how dangerous these things can be." She warned as she again leaned back in her chair and placed her hands together in thought.

"So please keep him calm as well as you can, and if possible, find out what the deal is. Besides, even if this all was because of what happened in March, I can think of no better person to help fix him. Just do what comes naturally to you and I'm sure that it will all come back to you two." She added, bringing the girl to stare at her for a moment before nodding.

"I understand." She said softly as Tsunade's smile slowly grew. She knew that there was only one truly pertinent thing on Kisa's mind, and she had kept her from that one thing long enough.

"Good. Now get out of here."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."


	26. Chapter 26: Burden

Walking into the common area of Kisa and Takao's apartment as the door closed behind his host, Akito took a good look around, taking in the sigh of the home the two of them had made for themselves since the last time he saw them. As far as studio-style apartments went inside of Konoha's walls it was rather roomy, seemingly as large as the Hokage's though significantly more modern.

"This is a really nice place you two found. Much nicer than the apartment I was staying in during my time here." He stated as he came to a stop a large window and looked outside at the village he knew as his second home, bringing Takao to laugh.

"Well I would like to think that is because of how new the place is; renovated just before we arrived here in town. Gotta admit though, it's expensive, and if it hadn't been for Lady Tsunade's reference we probably wouldn't be able to afford it, even with the money we've been making on missions." He replied as Akito laughed a bit under his breath and looked back out into Konoha, allowing Takao to walk up beside him.

"So you've really been out searching for Deidara again all this time?" He questioned the boy who looked back at his friend and nodded.

"Him and several others." Akito replied, bringing Takao to laugh.

"Like the Hokage said earlier, I'm very much so surprised that the Tsuchikage thought it was a good idea to let you go looking for what has happened. Last time you did you were nearly killed, had it not been for us!" He teased, again causing him to grin as he shook his head, though his laughter slowly died off; his hand reaching up and grabbing the curse mark on the back of his neck before gently rubbing it.

"Yeah, well… things have changed since then." He replied as Takao caught a glimpse of what exactly he was talking about. Ever since Kisa told him about his curse the night they found him as Akito rested by the fireside he had been curious about it, though he had refrained thus far from asking out of respect for his partner.

"I'd say so. Kenjutsu, Lightning Release and… that. You've been doing some serious training." The man stated as he leaned up against the wall at the opposite side of the windowsill, bringing Akito to shake his head.

"Not necessarily. Lightning Release is something I've always possessed as it is an integral part in being able to manifest and control Explosive Release, but I've just never really used it before on it's own, especially not now since it counteracts the explosive clay Deidara and I use." He replied as he looked down at the sealed mouth on his left hand once again.

"And as far as the Kenjutsu goes, my father made sure I had a decent understanding of the art when I was a child, saying it was necessary to survive against those who utilized it further, but after his death it sort of fell to the wayside." Akito added as she looked out at the sun in remembrance of his father, though after a moment he formed a small grin.

"I used both of those techniques to help separate the man that became known as Ibarkai from myself, but if I was to be honest using Kenjutsu again kind of felt good… maybe I'll practice a bit and use it more often." He added as Takao patted him hard across his back.

"Well if that's the case I would be glad to take you on as my student!" He cried out in laughter, instantly causing Akito to form an exasperated expression that he held until Takao slowly came to stop. Wiping a tear from his eye as he shook his head, Takao leaned on the windowsill and redirected his watery eyes back to Akito with a wide grin.

"Oh man, that was rich. Really, really rich. Anyway, as you've seen, things have changed quite a bit here as well." Takao stated as Akito hummed.

"I've noticed. You two have really become part of the village here it seems, and it looks like Kisa's found both a friend and a mentor in the Hokage. She's even learned her most signature technique." The boy replied as he subconsciously reached up and rubbed his bruised face, again causing Takao to chuckle under his breath. He had heard how Kisa managed to break Ibaraki's mask and reveal him for what he was using Lady Tsunade's signature strength multiplying technique; a story that he couldn't help but laugh at the first time he heard it despite the girl's concern over nearly breaking his neck.

"Yeah she has. It's not quite the same as Lady Tsunade's since she can only use it when her mark is active, but it's still pretty powerful… as you've noticed. But it's not just the one that gave you that big shiner. She's learned quite a lot of medical ninjutsu as well over the last few months, enough that she sometimes spends her day working at the hospital when they need her. From what I understand she's one of the first picks on their list." The man replied, bringing Akito to look down at the floor as he did so in an attempt to hide the small grin that formed on his lips.

One of his biggest fears when he brought them to Konoha was that they would have a hard time adapting to life in a new village, a fear that only grew when he woke up hundreds of miles away from them. But now, seeing their new home, their relationship with those around them and their flourishing involvement in the community, he couldn't help but smile. They were doing well, and he couldn't have asked for anything more.

Seeing his small grin as he stared down at the floor, Takao raised a brow in curiosity and crossed his arms; instinctively assuming that he was simply daydreaming about Kisa as he often did back in the day.

"You know, I've learned stuff too, important stuff, and I'm kinda offended that you haven't noticed!" He stated to break the boy's concentration, bringing Akito to lift his eyes back up to him with a small grin.

"The only thing I've noticed different about you is this… crazy wardrobe you've chosen for yourself." He replied, to which Takao scoffed.

"I'll have you know that these clothes are very comfortable and give me excellent mobility!" He exclaimed in retaliation, though before either of them could go any further the apartment door suddenly opened and shut, bringing them to look back towards it as Kisa pulled the beanie from her head, hung it on a rack near the door and gently played with her hair to make it somewhat presentable.

"Well, what's the verdict? Are we in trouble?" Takao immediately asked, bringing Kisa to shake her head.

"No, everythings okay. Lady Tsunade just wanted to talk to me about the mission, that's all." The girl replied as she slowly turned back towards both Takao and Akito; her lips forming a small, subtle smile at the latter's own.

"Hey… how're you holding up?" She questioned as the two locked eyes, bringing the boy to hesitantly break eye contact with a nod.

"Takao was just showing me around your apartment. It's really nice." He replied in an almost formal fashion that Kisa could tell was due to his nervousness, though what exactly he was afraid of she did not know.

"It is. We were lucky that Lady Tsunade was able to find it for us, and for such a good price." She responded as she stepped a bit closer, again causing their eyes to meet as her own settled on the large bruise around his left eye, once more igniting her desire to heal him further and alleviate the pain she knew he was in.

"How are your injuries? Is your eye or your side bothering you?" She asked though Akito simply shook his head, prompting her to stare at him in an effort to get him to admit what she already knew.

"It's okay. Lady Tsunade knows you're not a threat, so I'm sure she wouldn't if I healed you a bit more." She added, bringing him form a small smile and again shake his head.

"I'm alright, Kis. Tsunade might not mind, but maybe it is best that I remain this way for a while longer. I can see the fear in people's eyes and… I think it's just best this way." He replied, driving her heart to flutter at the affectionate way he said her name as the memories of the other times he said it flooded her mind. He would really call her that after everything that had happened?

At first she was unsure of how this first conversation with him away from Tokuma's vigilant eyes would go. She had planned to stay away from laying anything heavy on him so suddenly, especially anything to do with his curse, his time away or their relationship, but now she found it hard to ignore the question tearing at her chest.

Stepping a bit close to the two of them while subconsciously rubbing at her left arm to try and ease the nervous pit in her stomach, the girl smiled once more at Akito and turned to her roommate who, much to her surprise, already knew what she was going to ask.

"Well, now that you're back I'm going to head to the store as it seems that much of the food we had in the fridge has gone bad and I am quite hungry for a home cooked meal." He stated as he looked at her with a large smile and a wink before turning towards Akito.

"Whatcha think? You hungry?" Takao added in question, bringing Akito to look at him with a small chuckle as he shook his head, recalling now just how much Takao loved food.

"I am. He replied, bringing Takao to clap his hands together with a wide grin.

"Alright, in that case, I will be back shortly!" He exclaimed as he once again patted Akito roughly on the back and quickly made his way to the apartment door and exited without delay, leaving the Kisa and Akito standing in an awkward silence as their eyes met yet again, instantly causing them both to blush as Akito desperately tried to think of something to say. This was the first time they had been alone together since being reunited, so it was hard to determine just what was alright and was not.

"So, I… noticed you dyed your hair." He finally noted sheepishly with a nervous swallow after a few moments of awkward silence, bringing the girl to look at him as her hand subconsciously reached up and ran her fingers through her long black strands.

"This is actually my natural hair color, but I've been dying it white for so long that sometimes even I forget it isn't my real hair color, so I know why you are surprised." She replied, catching the boy by surprise.

"Really?" He questioned as the girl nodded and formed an involuntary smile at the memory of her first time dying it with her grandmother's help.

"Yeah. My mother was born with naturally white, frost-like hair, so in a way it was always a way to feel close to her." She replied, though her smile quickly faded after a few more seconds of thought.

"But with my curse mark it grows far too rapidly to keep up with now, and with everything that's happened I figured that it was for the best as someone with dull black hair was far less likely to be picked out in a crowd." Kisa added as Akito formed a smile.

"I don't think it looks dull." He blurted out without much forethought, instantly causing Kisa to look up at him.

"You don't?" She questioned, bringing the boy to slowly shake his head and look down in embarrassment.

"I actually think it's... really cute." He replied with a red face, driving Kisa's dark tremendously as her heart leaped in her chest. Why would he say that so abruptly? Did he actually mean that? To her this mirrored his comment about how her name was beautiful back when they were in Getaru City, but yet this felt more impactful, more intimate, as if said to a lover. Was this because of the connection that had shared before he was taken from her?

"O-Oh… w-well thank you." She replied with a nervous smile as she watched him struggle with his embarrassment from the corner of her eyes, causing her grin to grow uncontrollably as the smitten feelings she held for the boy swelled. This was the Akito she knew well, a part of him she had not seen since they were reunited, and it felt good to know it was still alive after everything that had happened.

Taking a deep breath, Kisa slowly grabbed ahold of the necklace around her neck and gathered her thoughts together carefully. If she was going to apologize for what she had done and make it right so that this could continue, she had to do so now.

"Akito…" She began to say after moment to draw his attention, though as he looked back up at her with his soft, kind yet somewhat fearful and nervous smile, she suddenly finds herself unable to ask what she desperately wanted.

"I…" She muttered as she bit the inside of her lip to try and force the truth to come out, but as the boy tilted his head and hummed in question of what she wanted, Kisa had little choice but to say something quickly and resorted back to her concern from earlier.

"Please let me take care of your wounds." She stated as the boy's eyes widened a bit and lingered on her own before finally forming a small nod. He had always known her to be persistent for all the right reasons, especially for reasons she felt so strongly about, so he wasn't going to force her to continue to worry.

"Do you think it would be alright if I showered first? It's been a few days since I've been able to, and even though I was able to clean off in the stream yesterday I still feel… gross." He questioned with a small laugh, bringing Kisa's disheartened expression to slowly form a halfhearted smile.

"Sure. The bathroom is just down the hall on the right, and if you want I will pull some clothes from the scrolls in your things." She replied, to which boy nodded.

"Thank you, Kis." He said softly as their eyes remained locked together for a moment or two longer before he slowly made his way down the hallway to the bathroom, leaving her standing in silent frustration.

She had been waiting for months to finally bring up everything that had been troubling her since she nearly lost him, so why couldn't she say what was on her mind? Why did she suddenly get cold feet? Was it because she was afraid of what he might say? That he might not have forgiven her as she had hoped he had based on the way he had been acting, or was it that she was afraid to find out things would never return to how they once were between them?

Tightening her grip on his necklace, Kisa waited for the bathroom door to close before making her way to the kitchen counter that Takao had set the boy's belongings on. Coming to a stop, she looked down at the vest he had worn as Ibaraki beneath his other belongings; the grey material on the left side of the vest nearly completely dyed red with blood from the injury that nearly killed him. Subconsciously she placed her hand to large tear and felt the tattered edges around where the blade had pierced through into his flesh, causing her to shutter before proceeding to locate the small scroll pouch on the vest's back where she knew he would have kept at least one set of spare clothing, even if it wasn't his normal attire due to the secretive nature of his mission.

Pulling out what she believed would be a set of clothes, the girl turned and walked to the large table in the center of their living area and unfurled the scroll to unseal it as her mind continued to berate her for her decision to remain silent. How long would she continue to do this? Would she ever work up the nerve to confront him, or would everything she had to say just go unsaid forever?

"Stupid. So stupid." She stated to herself in disgust as she gently folded the clothes in her hand and stood up before walking to the bathroom door which, to her surprise, he had left slightly ajar. Knowing he would need them once he was finished, she slowly opened the door and set them on the counter, all while trying her best to resist looking towards the shower and risk catching sight of the naked boy within. Her task complete, she then backed out of the bathroom and silently closed the door back to where it had been before turning and making her way to the main living area, and then to the small balcony outside of their apartment in the hope that some of the fresh evening air would clear her head.

After several minutes in the somewhat hot yet certainly refreshing shower, Akito emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in the rather bland gray-colored sweatpants Kisa had drawn from his scroll though the upper part of his body remained bare. With his injuries it was a bit difficult to pull a shirt over his head without hurting himself, especially in a cramped space like the bathroom and given how he had to nearly tear his last shirt off to get in the shower he didn't feel struggling again.

"Kisa?" He questioned aloud as he stepped out into the hallway and looked around in silence before slowly beginning to cautiously make his way to the living room. He was opposed to simply parading himself around her house undressed, but with how large the living area was he knew he could more easily don the shirt.

"Kis?" He called again as he came to the end of the hallway and looked through the living room before spotting her outside the apartment's balcony door staring off into the sunset in a way that reminded him of the night of their date, causing him to form a small smile at the memory before seizing his chance to finish getting ready without her seeing.

Moving a little bit further away from the hall, the boy put both of his hands through the arm holes of the shirt and began to quickly raise it up over his head, successfully pulling down the right sleeve in the process. However, just as said sleeve fell into place he found himself hung up on his extended elbow which, in turn, causing him to become frustrated. When he packed for the trip he hadn't expected to have an injury that limited his mobility, so now that he was unable to easily manipulate his left arm without causing himself substantial pain in his side he found himself struggling.

"Come… on!" He grunted as he attempted to force the shirt down over his extended elbow without hurting himself, groaning in pain all the way. Because of his wishes to remain weakened to ease some of the tension between himself and the team that had captured him Kisa had only healed his side enough to prevent bleeding, leaving the tear in his skin susceptible to being reopened by sudden movement.

Attempting one more time to pull the shirt down before planning to pull it off to start again Akito grunted loudly, though just as he did so he heard the glass sliding door leading to what he assumed was the balcony open, causing him to become even more flustered and his face to dark red in embarrassment. He had failed to get dressed quickly, and what was even worse was the fact that he was now stuck with his head inside of the shirt. How could it get any worse?!

Lifting her head up as she stepped inside, Kisa immediately froze at the sight of what she was greeted with in complete surprise. She hadn't expected him to be done with his shower yet let alone dressed, but she certainly hadn't expected him to be standing shirtless in the living room.

"Akito? What are you…" She began, though as she watched him try once more to drag the shirt down onto his chest she couldn't help but let out a short giggle of amusement. However, as her eyes fell on the large scar that pierced through his side near the site of his barely healed wound, her smile quickly faded. This was the first time she had actually seen what she had done, as even when she was healing him at the site of their battle she didn't look for the scars, sending her heart plummeting deeper into her stomach.

"Hold on." She stated as she shut the balcony door behind her and made her way up to the boy before grabbing ahold of the shirt that was tangled around his stiffened arm and lowering it down, revealing the red-faced, embarrassed boy beneath.

"Thanks. I didn't realize getting dressed again was going to be such a challenge." He replied with a tired huff as their eyes met, once again forcing him to form a nervous smile as the girl shook her head.

"That's because your side is likely swollen from not healing the right way. You need to take it easy." She replied with a small, fleeting smile of her own. This was her chance. This was her time to make things right and to try and repair what she had broken, and she wasn't going to allow her fear of what he may say to ruin it. It had to be done.

Swallowing nervously as she rapidly debated what to do and as her eyes again returned to his, Kisa bit the inside of her lip for a brief second or two until she finally found the will within herself to push out of her comfort zone and into action.

"Akito." She stated as she reached forward and took the boy's hand in hers, bringing his eye's to widen and his face to return to the dark red state it was just starting to recover from; a state that grew even darker as the girl sat down on the couch and gently pulled the boy down to sit beside her.

Doing as she silently instructed without opposition, Akito bit the inside of his own lip for a moment as the girl's fingers slid up his arm to just above his wrist and remained there in a subconscious bid to prevent him from running away, though as their eyes again met and he saw the hurt in her soul he would never dare to do so.

"We need to talk." She stated as she took a silent yet deep breath and prepared to speak, bringing Akito's own stomach to knot a bit. He wasn't sure what this was about but given the situation he had found himself in it could have been any number of things, though what seemed to be causing his heart race the most was the touch of the girl's hand. It had been a few months since he last felt the warmth of her skin on his and even though this had not been the first time she had touched him since their reunion he still couldn't seem to calm himself, resulting in his heart pounding each time.

"Is everything alright?" He questioned instinctively, again bringing his caring and compassionate nature to light and forcing Kisa to smile as she nodded her head, despite the fact that inside she was deeply troubled about what was about to transpire.

"Everythings okay." She replied out of habit, though after looking up to the concerned boy's face she shook her head in an effort to remain true to her intent.

"Actually Akito, it's not." She redacted as she shifted a bit more towards him and placed the hand that remained at her side atop the other and took a deep breath. This was the moment she had waited nearly six months for and she couldn't back down.

"I just… I need to apologize… for everything I've done. The way I acted towards you before I ran away, what I did that night; all of it." She tactfully confessed as the boy, just as she had anticipated, shook his head.

"You don't need to apologize." He replied, though before he could barely even finish she shook her head and averted her gaze down to their hands as they rested so close to one another yet so far away; the memory of the things that she said to him playing back in her mind.

"But I do, though. That night… the night I ran away... I said things to you that I should have never said, terrible, horrible things that I know now are not true. Lady Tsunade, she… she told me about what happened… about your family. From the way you always talked about them I just always believed they were back in Iwa, I… I had no idea that… that they..." She continued as she looked down at her hands in shame, causing Akito to do the same at the mention of his family tragedy.

"They are all gone." He stated under his breath, bringing the girl to bite her lip in shame. She could tell from his voice that this was a sensitive subject as she assumed it should be, though she didn't know how he was able to remain so calm. Her father's death was hard enough for her to talk about, so she couldn't dare assume she knew what it was like to talk about the loss of his entire clan.

"I… I didn't know. I should have just let you speak. You were trying to tell me to make me feel like I wasn't alone, and I freaked out on you. I called you a liar and drove you away. You had never been anything but nice to me. You cared for me, protected me… y-you became my best friend... and I… I-I spit in your face." Kisa resumed briefly as she looked up at him, recalling exactly what she said to him as well as the look on his face as he left to prevent himself from taking out his anger on her, causing her to freeze once more as her hands subconsciously tightening on his arm.

She had thought about what she said to him many, many times that day, but it never seemed to get any easier. Each and every time her words echoed in her mind her gut wretched and her heart ached. She should have never, ever said those things to him. The only thing he was guilty of that day was trying to make her feel safe and calm, and she punished him for it.

Ashamed of her past, the girl broke their stare and once more looked down at their hands. The further into this conversation they went the harder it was for her to remain in control of her emotions, especially since they were closing in on how it all ended, furthering the pit that grew in her heart and making it harder and harder for her to look him in the face as tears silently flowed from her eyes.

"But yet, even though I said all of those horrible things... you still came to find me. Y-You risked your life to try and save m-mine… a-and I repaid you by nearly t-taking it from y-you myself. I a-almost killed you, a-and not a day goes b-by that I don't think about it." The girl managed to state out loud amidst a sharp sob as the memories of the way she found him flashed in her eyes; the blood running from his wounds as clear and mortifying as it was nearly six months prior.

"W-When I came to, I refused to leave your side, just like you refused to leave mine, b-but when the Tsuchikage took you back to Iwa, I… I h-had no choice. I t-thought I would never see you again… a-and that's why I need to apologize. I broke my promise, I hurt you… I-I let you down... and I-I know that after everything that has happened y-you probably hate me, b-but I needed you to know j-just how sorry I am." She finally concluded as she leaned a bit forward to combat the nauseous, lost feeling in her stomach, all while Akito stared in silence.

"Kisa…" He said softly before biting the inside of his lip, struggling to cope with what was happening in front of him. Watching her fight with her emotions was hard enough, but seeing her cry after all this time was breaking his heart and forcing him to act. She really thought that he hated her because of what happened?

Swallowing nervously, the boy gently pulled his right hand from beneath her hold on his wrist and placed it atop her own before gently rubbing the back of her hand in a calming manner, causing her to look up at him and her face to darkened.

"When I woke up… I thought I would never see you again, either. I didn't know where I was or what happened… but when reality set in and I saw my injuries, I wasn't mad… I was afraid." He replied to her confession, bringing her to widen her teary eyes in attention as she continued to blush from the heat of his bare hands.

"A million things rushed through my head; did you manage to escape, did… did he kill you… I-I was scared that I had lost you, and if it hadn't been for my grandfather being there to tell me you were safe I would have had a heart attack." He added as he looked down in embarrassment, though it was both of their cheeks that grew darker by the second. He was so worried about her that he nearly had a heart attack? Was he really that afraid that she had died?

"He told me that he came to Konoha to bring me home, and that he had met you. He said that you were alright, but that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to come back to make sure that you were alright… but I couldn't. I was too weak… I could barely eat, let alone walk, and there was no way he was going to let me make the trip." The boy continued as Kisa's hold on the inside of her lip strengthened until it nearly drew blood, knowing full well that she was the one who put him in such horrible condition.

"W-Why didn't the Tsuchikage try to contact Konoha? Lady Tsunade said that she had tried several times to check on you, but that Iwa never responded. If we would have heard something back, I-I… w-we would have come to see you, regardless of where you were." Kisa admitted in response, to which Akito looked up to her with a bit of hidden surprise. She would have come to Iwa to see him even though she hated his village? Was that true?

"Onoki said that when Konoha's messenger came to the border he replied to let them know I was alright, even offering to set up some kind of meeting, but that he never heard back after that." The boy replied, causing Kisa's heart to sink even lower. The Hokage didn't reply? Could that be the truth, and if it was, why was it? Why wouldn't she accept a chance for them to see him again?

"I...I don't understand. Why wouldn't she reply?" She questioned as she shook her head in disbelief. The Hokage told them that it was Iwa that didn't reply, even doing so just an hour or so prior as she interrogated him. How could this be?

"I don't know. I don't think my grandfather was lying, but at the same time I don't feel he told me the complete truth, especially since Lady Tsunade mentioned that Iwa never answered... but ultimately it didn't matter. Once this happened, I…" He began to explain as he cast his vision over at the blooded clothing of Ibaraki, bringing her to follow with her own eyes until she saw what he was staring at, at which point her hands again tightened. Was this because of her too?

"This? How… how did this happen?" Kisa asked with a small sob as she looked back to Akito who in turn looked down at the floor.

"It's… complicated." He replied in a subconscious effort to try and move past the topic, though as Kisa gently squeezed his hand he couldn't help but return his attention to her; her teary eyes desperate to hear what he had to say. She wanted the truth, and that was something he wasn't going to deny her.

"With everything going on… the Akatsuki, your curse... I refused to just lay around. I started to push myself, training to build up my strength so that I could get back to Konoha on my own... but it wasn't enough; I wasn't healing fast enough... and that's when I was offered a deal." The boy began to explain in shame as the hand at the bottom the pile reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, showing her just what he meant.

"The curse mark." She stated out loud as Akito nodded.

"Around the beginning of May I was approached by this man, a member of Iwa's Anbu… I don't know his name nor what he looks like, just the codename assigned to him... Aoi. He told me that if I was willing to help the Anbu with their hunt for the Akatsuki and containment of the threat they posed, he would give me something that would speed up my recovery and get me back on my feet faster, as well as make me stronger; a curse mark, just like those being placed unwillingly by Orochimaru." He admitted, instantly causing Kisa's expression to grow confused and then irritated at the knowledge that he willingly allowed himself to be marked with the curse.

"Akito Himaku, what would posses you to do something so stupid? This thing… it isn't a tool or a gift, it's horrible; a literal nightmare that turns men into monsters… and me into a dangerous freak." She began to sternly lecture before shifting to a more worried demeanor as she recalled what else was imprinted on his skin.

"And above all else, you let them put a kill seal on you. Do you know what that means? They could end your life at any time, for any reason, and there would be nothing you could do about it… why would you do something like that?" She questioned, bringing the ashamed boy to shake his head.

"I had no choice. The man who made it, some… scientist who's been studying those with curse marks coming from Otogakure, was afraid I would lose control. He placed some kind of limiter on the seal's power to keep it controlled, but Aoi insisted that the seal be added... without it they wouldn't have allowed me to take the mark." He responded, causing her to grow more frustrated.

This Aoi he was speaking of must have been the same man who accompanied the Tsuchikage to Konoha; the same man who spoke so negatively about him why he sat in such horrible condition. Why would he insist on him wearing the kill seal? Was he afraid he would go rogue, or was it something more sinister. Anbu were not always known to play nice, not even to their own people; did he plan to use Akito only to get rid of them time came?

"Then why do it at all? Why would you want to be cursed like me… why would you risk your life?" She sharply contested, bringing the boy to look up at her.

"I-I wanted to get back to you, a-and I…" He began to explain before falling silent as his mind began to frantically go over what he almost blurted out. What he was about to tell her was something that he was unsure how she would react to, especially since they had only been reunited for several days after months of being apart; months that she now knew he spent involuntarily avoiding her. Before the disaster she thought that he was lying to relate with her, would she think this was done for the same purpose?

Centering her vision on the boy at his sudden pause Kisa's eyes widened as her face grew dark, though that flustered feeling quickly faded. At first she was just surprised and a bit flustered to hear that he would do this to get back to her, but after hearing that there was something else on his mind she couldn't think about anything else besides what he was about to say.

"Tell me, Akito." She said softly as the thumb of her top-most hand rubbed against the palm of his hand above, bringing the boy to look at her in embarrassment about what he was about to say before looking back down with a deep breath to try and drive the anxiety in his chest away.

"I-I hoped that if I had a cure mark too, maybe I could help learn about them, and… and possibly find a way to free you from your own."

Hearing the boy's response the girl let out a silent gasp that left her mouth agape. He willingly allowed himself to be cursed to try and help her? Was he being serious? Why would he put himself in such grave danger for her? Sure, he had done it several times before, but was she really so important that he would do so even after waking up from a coma she had put him in?

"Why… why would you do this for me?" She questioned, bringing Akito to stare at the floor of the apartment in silence for a moment or two before forming a small, nervous smile on his lips. He had already told her this was done for her, so what was the point in hiding the reason why?

"B-Because when you care about someone, you have to keep them safe… e-even if it means risking your own life." He replied softly, instantly bringing her heart to flutter and breath to quiver as it left her lips. He did this because he cared about her? Did… did that mean Lady Tsunade was right? Did he still care about her as more than a friend, like how they were before they were torn away from one another?

Sitting in silence for a moment or two without a reply, Akito's eyes slowly drifted from the floor up to Kisa who was staring at him in shock with a rather heavy blush displayed across her face, though he couldn't exactly read what she was feeling. He couldn't tell if she was flattered or offended, and that uncertainty was killing him.

"I don't blame you for what happened. I don't. And I certainly don't hate you... I don't think I ever could." He replied as he lowered his sight back down to their hands, again causing her breath to quiver at the realization that what he was saying was nearly identical to what she had told him on the night of their date.

This was the proof she needed, the sign she had been waiting for. Akito didn't hate her and despite everything that had happened, all the pain she had caused him, he still cared about her deeply, so much so that he even risked his life to take on a cursed seal to try and help her; something that, while she wished he wouldn't have done so, caused her stomach to flutter with endearment. This was what caused the tinges of love she began to experience back then, and she was glad to see that they still held true now.

Unsure of what to say the beet-red girl continued to stare at the boy for a moment or two longer before sniffling and wiping away the tears that remained in her eyes. If she couldn't form the words to describe how she had been feeling since his return, then she would need to show him how happy she was another way.

Without hesitation, Kisa turned towards and then slid closer to the boy, wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and then gently pull him into a tight, chest-to-chest hug that caught him off guard, though he instinctevely placed his own arms on her back to support her as she buried her face into his shoulder. She had been waiting to give him a hug ever since she saw him in that field and now that she had the chance she didn't want to let go.

"I'm glad you're safe." She sniffled into his shoulder as the boy's heart raced, bringing him to close his eyes and lean his head against hers as the warmth of her body rushed over him, sending his heart into a frenzy.

"I'm glad you are, too." He replied as Kisa hesitantly leaned herself back from his body to sit back in her legs that now sat folded beneath her.

Placing one hand on her knee as the other reached up and nervously brushed a loose hair behind her ear, the girl looked up at him from the top of her eyes for a second before subconsciously forming a small smile and looking down at their now separate hands. Part of her wanted to take it with her own to restore the warmth, though in heeding Tsunade's suggestion to let it all come back naturally she refrained from doing so, no matter how hard it was.

"I know I said it earlier, but thank you for watching over me the past few days, Kisa." He admitted as she shook her head and widened her smile.

"Don't thank me… it's what you do when you care about someone." She replied in clear reference to his own statement, causing both of them to blush at her attempted tease; something that she never thought she would do again.

"You're still an idiot for doing that, even if it was for me… you know that, right?" She added, bringing him to laugh lightly with a painful wince.

"Yeah, I know." He replied as she looked up at him with a giggle, though upon seeing the bruise around his eye she reached up and placed a hand to his cheek to begin healing him, allowing their eyes to meet once again as she did so.

This all still seemed so surreal. She'd spent so many nights lying awake hoping this day would come, and now that it was here it still felt like a dream. At the same time however, she couldn't deny the very real feel of the weight she had been carrying around in her heart for the few months melting away, allowing her to finally breathe again after what seemed like forever.

As Kisa continued to heal his face and then eventually his side the two sat in silence with little interruption, save for their blushing glances at one another. To them nothing had to be said. They were happy just being in each other's company once again, knowing that they were each safe and that everything was okay, though as the door handle turned and the door opened to reveal a grocery-laden Takao, that quickly changed.

"Ey, you two weren't making out in here, were ya?!" He exclaimed in a muffled way due to the rather large pocky stick shoved in his mouth, instantly bringing them both to turn beet red and the girl's blood to boil.

"T-Takao!" She exclaimed as the man laughed.

"Oh come on, you know as well as I do that the chances of that having been the truth were very high!" He replied, furthering her frustration.

"S-Shut up before I come over there and make you eat that candy whole!" She bickered as Takao kicked the front door of their apartment shut with a lingering grin; his eyes focusing on the girl's hand as it continued to heal Akito's side.

"Oh yeah? I highly doubt that since you're currently healing our boy over there. You wouldn't stop just to chase me." He joked in a voice similar to that of a movie villain as he placed the first bag of groceries down on the counter and turned back towards her with an evil glare.

"Infact, I bet I could get away with whatever I wanted at this moment. Care to know what Kisa's favorite color of underwear is, Akito?" The man purposely antagonize, causing the girl's eye to twitch anxiously.

"Y-You son of a bitch… when I get done, I-" She muttered angrily under her breath before turning back to the equally flustered boy beside her as she felt his hand reach over and calmly place itself overtop of her own. Confused, the flushed girl watched as he slowly formed a small grin and gently pulled her hand away, signalling that it was alright for her pursue her desire to sut Takao up, at which point her vision darted back to the man as his eyes widened.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed as the girl quickly pushed off of the couch they were sitting on and dashed straight towards him, causing him to drop the remaining bag of groceries in his hands as he made a break for his bedroom door.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Kisa screamed as she followed, leaving Akito sitting on the couch alone as he slowly formed a wide smile at the last time she watched the two bicker. It seemed that things between the two of them hadn't changed much, and that was a welcomed sight.

Turning his attention back out to the window as the sun neared its final destination on the horizon, the boy took a deep breath. Things had been rough the last few months and the future ahead was still clouded with uncertainty, but at least for the time being he was able to find some solace in the company of his two closest friends. The world was changing and he knew his time here in Konoha was limited, so he had every intention to make the most of it while it lasted.


	27. Chapter 27: Absolution

_[Author's Note:_

_Hello everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe during these troubling times. I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for the significant delay in a new chapter of this story. This came as a surprise to me as well as when I first had heard that our state would be put on lock down, and that my department was to be the only entity reporting for work regularly for the foreseeable future, I was optimistic that I would be able to shred through chapters without much delay. However, it turns out that because of the location at which I work being shutdown every single individual that enters the premises now needs either escort or assistance, so as hard as it is to believe, I have actually become substantially busier._

_Despite this, I vow to reduce the time it takes for me to send chapters out and I sincerely ask for all of you amazing people who drive me to do this to stick with me._

_Thank you all, stay safe.]_

Sitting down on a bench just outside of the hospital grounds, Kisa took a deep breath and pulled her hair out of the tight bun she had placed it in when she reported for work earlier. On hot summer days it was normally best to keep it tied up to keep cool, but she personally hated it that way, and given that there was a strong breeze blowing through the valley she felt she would be fine in her preferred fashion.

Running her hands through the black strands to straighten them out the best she could, the girl's eyes drifted to the people all around her on the street as she tried to spot her friends amidst those just out enjoying the nice day. Up until she was called into work to assist with a few minor surgeries earlier that morning she had planned to spend the day with Akito and Takao in an effort to maximize the time they got to spend together while it lasted, though luckily it only delayed their endeavor until noon when the two agreed to meet her for lunch; something that she grew more anxious about as time went by.

Despite the fact that he had been back at their side for nearly a week it seemed that she still couldn't find it inside of herself to relax when Akito was around. The second she saw his face she could feel her heartbeat race and her stomach flutter with nervous tension while her smile became uncontainable, causing her to feel like some kind of giddy teenager. This feeling was not entirely new to her, having come to light before they were seperated by the events that took place in March, but it was strange all the same, causing her to feel somewhat foolish.

From what she could tell everything seemed to be alright between them, especially following their tender exchange a few nights prior, but she was still quite unsure how far he was willing to take their friendship, let alone how hard she should push him to find out. Lady Tsunade believed it was best to allow things to come back to them naturally, and as much as it hurt her to sit and hold her breath, she too knew it was the best course of action.

But that didn't stop her from wondering what could be. The way things had been with Akito the past few days only served to fully reignite the feelings and expectations she had been developing before everything went wrong, causing her mind to become overcome with thoughts of him as her eyes shifted to the clouds above. What if she wouldn't have ran away? That was certainly the catalyst of everything that went wrong, but what would their lives be like if she hadn't?

The night of their date was, by far, one of the most magical nights she had ever had the joy of experiencing. The way she felt with him was something she had never before felt and since that day she had been constantly searching to get a piece of that feeling back. If she hadn't messed everything up would that feeling have been an everyday occurance? Was it possible that Akito's affection was what she felt had been missing from her life for what seemed like eternity?

Letting out a small sigh, the girl closed her eyes as another calm breeze rushed through town. This way of thinking, that she needed someone else in her life to feel whole, was a violation of her long time belief that she was better off on her own. Sure, she had always been able to rely on Takao and Jun, but this was different.

Akito wasn't just someone she could confide in, he was someone she could talk to about anything; someone she could tell her deepest, darkest secrets and most painful memories too without having to worry about what he might say back. He was the only one she had ever openly talked to about her father's death, something that she had never even really discussed with her friends, and it was all because of just how safe and comfortable he made her feel.

Even more than that, Akito was the only man who she had ever found herself longing to be romantically involved with, more than when she thought she had felt these feelings for Jun long ago. The best she could tell these feelings even went as far as to manifest what she could only describe as love for him despite their differences, and as happy as that made her feel it was also her biggest fear, as if that was something she should be ashamed of.

But why? What was so bad about loving someone? To her, love was having someone who she could always depend on; someone that would always be there by her side to help her through her darkest times and keep her warm on the coldest of nights. Why was this such a bad thing to want? Was it because for the longest time she had told herself she would never need love past the platonic she held for her friends to survive? Had she really been so ignorant that she believed she was above such a feeling?

Taking another calming breath of fresh air as a familiar voice pierced through the chatter of those walking around her, the girl's eyes drifted down towards where she believed the voice to be coming from and immediately laid eyes on Takao's large frame as he laughed boisterously.

"Oh yeah, that's one thing I certainly have noticed here in Konoha!" He exclaimed, signalling that he and the boy beside him must have been talking about something related to the village before turning towards her and waving his hand feverishly.

"There she is!" He exclaimed as the girl herself stood up onto her feet to greet them and motioned a small wave as well, all with a growing smile that matched Akito's as she did so.

"Hey!" She called back as the two came to a stop in front of her, allowing her to lock eyes with the boy she couldn't stop thinking about as he spoke up.

"How did things go? Everything alright?"

"Yeah, everything went well. There weren't too many serious cases, only one actually, and the rest were all minor surgeries. What about you two, what have you been up to all day?" She responded with a lingering grin as Takao laughed.

"Oh nothing really, just spent the morning bullshiting about this and that." He said as he looked down at Akito with a wide grin, knowing that what he was about to say was about to land him in hot water.

"I did get to ask Akito about his curse mark though." He added, instantly causing Kisa's grin to fade as her focus directed to Takao's eyes with an angered glare.

"Takao, I specifically asked you not to pester him about that." She responded in a clearly annoyed tone, to which Takao immediately held his hands up in question of what he had truly done wrong.

"What? I couldn't help myself. I mean come on, I've seen his whole dark skin, angry boy look, but I wanted to know if there was something more badass to it that I didn't get to see. You know, like yours." The man joked in reply, causing Kisa's annoyed scowl to grow before fading at the touch of Akito's hand on her arm.

"It's okay, Kisa. I don't mind him asking." The boy said with a smile, bringing Takao to laugh and slap him across the back as he did so.

"See? He's fine with it. I told you I wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable. Though, I have to admit Akito, you really let me down when you told me you can't turn into some wicked looking flying demon." He added as Akito shook his head and returned his attention back to Kisa.

"Well, me and Takao have been holding off eating so that we would be hungry for lunch. Are you ready to get something to eat?" He questioned, to which Kisa slowly nodded as she tucked a hair that the breeze had blown loose behind her ear.

"Sure. Let's go."

Having spent a good portion of his time in Konoha scouring the village for the best placed to eat, Takao lead the group to just the place; a small restaurant that specialized in a much fuller meal than what was often traditional, and somewhere he and Kisa had visited several times since he discovered the place earlier that summer. Since this was not a typical meal, the three sat for some time to eat before heading back out into the streets to enjoy what remained of the late summer afternoon, bringing them on a long walk just outside of the village walls as they did so.

"Yeah well the plus side to all of this is that there is certainly a hell of a lot more work here then back in Kiri, that's for sure." Takao replied to the boy's question of how they made out with their transition into a whole new culture as he placed his hands behind his head to stretch, causing Kisa to add on to his statement with a small grin.

"We were lucky enough to have the chance to not only witness nearly every walk of life in the Land of Fire, but also work with many of Konoha's most well known ninja, all of whom were key in our transition. I have no doubt that if it hadn't been for them we would have had a much harder time adapting." She added as Akito himself smiled and looked out through the trees at the woods around them for any lurking eyes; an old habit he had a hard time breaking.

"When I first came here when I was young I had a tough time adjusting, but luckily I found the right people to show me the way… I'm glad you two found the same thing." He responded as he turned back towards the two and then down at the pathway they were walking before looking forward once more.

"I am sorry that I wasn't here, though. I planned to be."

Hearing his statement, Kisa's small grin turned to a frown. She knew that his words weren't meant to hurt her, but that didn't help the sadness she felt come over her.

"Don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault that you weren't here, it was mine." She replied, bringing Akito to shake his head.

"No it's not. I should have come back the second I could. Iwa would have been fine without me… I should have told the Tsuchikage I couldn't stay." The boy objected as Takao chuckled.

"I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. If the Anbu chose you specifically then that likely meant they felt you were the only man for the job, and seeing as how the Tsuchikage wanted you to stick around, you are obviously important to both Iwa and him as well." He tried to reassure the boy, bringing Akito to look to him with a small grin.

"That, or they knew I would be the easiest to control." He replied before looking back to Kisa, once more thinking of her curse mark because of the mention of his own as his smile slowly grew wider and more genuine.

He hadn't told her, but he was beyond relieved to see that she was doing alright despite her curse mark, especially seeing how she had found a safe way to allow its power to manifest for her own use. He had been told by the man who created his seal that trying to hold back an unhindered mark's power could lead to a complete takeover of one's body, so hearing that she was embracing and properly using it to her own advantage as well as the fact that she hadn't had an incident since beginning to train with the Hokage made him truly happy.

Seeing his expression as his eyes locked to her, Kisa's smile once again returned to her lips as her heartbeat quickened and she once again found herself melting inside of her core. This was yet again just another little moment she had been missing the whole time he was gone.

"What?" She questioned softly with a blush to which the boy simply shook his head; his own cheeks slightly darkened at having been caught staring.

"Nothing. Just… glad that I'm here." The boy responded, again pulling at her heartstrings as she tried to think of something to say. Although his statement could be taken many different ways, to her it was meant to be far more intimate, warranting an appropriate response. But what should she say? Should she say something just as intimate, if not borderline romantic, despite the fact that Takao was present? She hadn't had much experience in doing so besides when she was with him, but that didn't mean it felt difficult to do, not with Akito.

In the end it didn't matter, however, as before she could formulate a reply the group of three averted their gaze forward towards a lone Konoha shinobi as he approached from one of paths that diverged from the one they were on; his unique, orange appearance allowing all three of them to make out his identity almost immediately.

"Naruto?" Akito questioned as the blonde-haired boy slid to a stop in front of them and placed his hands to his knees in order to take a deep breath.

"I knew I saw you from on top of the ridgeline! Sakura didn't believe me, but I knew it had to be you!" He exclaimed as he stood back up straight and formed a wide grin across his face, just as the girl he mentioned came running from down the same path he had emerged from moments earlier.

"There you are, Naruto! What did I say about running off and leaving me behind?!" She scolded as she came to a stop beside her partner.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't want to lose him!" The boy replied, only further angering her as she raised her right fist back and slugged him in the shoulder, bringing him to squeal in pain and Takao to laugh as she did so.

"Oww, Sakura! That hurt!" He cried as the girl huffed and regained her composure.

"Yeah? Well next time listen to me!" She replied before turning to Kisa as the girl's smile returned.

"Hey you two! I didn't expect to see you out here." She stated as Sakura brushed a loose lock of pink hair from her face, likely knocked free from her forehead protector's hold because of her need to chase Naruto through the woods.

"We were on our way back after doing some training, but when Naruto noticed Akito he took off." She stated as she looked over to Naruto who, much to little surprise, was pointing at Akito with an irritated expression on his face.

"When did you come back to Konoha, huh?!" He asked as Akito's grin grew.

"A few days ago now."

"Why didn't you come find me then? You still owe me a meal, remember? Did you think you were just going to get out of it?!" He questioned rapidly, bringing Akito to chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I remember, and I wasn't trying to avoid you. It's just that… this visit to Konoha wasn't exactly planned." The boy replied as he turned his eyes to Kisa, causing the young shinobi in front of him to do the same. He had seen her around the village several times over the past few months but hadn't put her identity together until just now.

"Hey… isn't that the girl from the ramen shop in Getaru City?" Naruto asked as he looked to Takao and pointed up at him.

"He was there too… I think." He added, instantly causing Takao to laugh as he placed one hand on his hip and the other down on Akito's shoulder roughly.

"Ha! Look at that, Akito! Even he was able to identify us with our new good-looks, and he'd only met us once! How couldn't you?!" He roared, bringing Akito to sigh in disdain as to his side Sakura watched on and moved a bit closer to Kisa. She had heard Naruto mention that he had a friend from Iwagakure named Akito several times before, though she had never met him in person.

More importantly than introducing herself however, there was something else on her mind. A few days ago she had been told by Lady Tsunade that not only did their village have a visitor from Iwa but that he too had been cursed in a way similar to both Sasuke and Kisa, though she hadn't said just who it was. There were never many visitors from the Hidden Stone, so seeing him here with Kisa and Takao offered more than enough evidence for her to assume it was him, regardless of the fact that he wasn't wearing any kind of identifying Iwa clothing nor a forehead protector.

"Is this the boy Lady Tsunade has been talking about?" She questioned somewhat quietly as she came to a stop by Kisa's side, bringing the girl to look at her nod as Sakura's interest grew.

"Yes, this is Akito. Given his friendship with Naruto I'm surprised you haven't met before." Kisa replied, to which Sakura grinned.

"I sometimes find it best to avoid meeting Naruto's friends that I don't already know. They aren't always… normal." She responded as she watched the three men converse back and forth about something tedious with her eyes focused on Akito.

"Although it seems as if he's probably the most normal out of all of them." Sakura added, causing Kisa to let out a short giggle as her eyes returned to Akito and her captivated smile returned, bringing the boy to do the same as he spotted her gesture from the corner of his eye.

"For the most part." She replied affectionately as Sakura took note of the two's exchange and smiled to herself in silent happiness that they were now reunited.

When she first met her earlier that year she could tell that there was something always on her mind, something that no matter what always seemed to trouble her deeply, and eventually led her to ask her sensei about what it was since she too was under Tsunade's tutelage at the time. It was there that she learned about Kisa's past, as well as a boy she found herself attached to despite being far apart; a boy that she could now tell was Akito.

"Wait, so if your visit wasn't planned, what are you here?" Naruto asked, drawing both Kisa and Sakura to look over as the former held her breath, though just like Kisa was interrupted by their arrival Akito fell silent as beside him Tokuma Hyuga appeared.

"Akito Himaku, the Hokage requests your presence immediately." He stated without much delay as Takao placed both his hands behind his head with a grin.

"Oh hey there Tokuma! Haven't seen you the past few days. How are things?" He asked in a somewhat joking tone to try to lower the blank, all-business stare on the Hyuga's face, though he simply crossed his arms as his pale eyes turned to his one-time subordinate.

"Busy, as usual. Mostly because of this one here." He replied, bringing Kisa's eyes to widen in surprise.

"What's going on Tokuma?" The latter asked as the man turned to her for a moment or two before returning his attention to Akito.

"Konoha's council has come to a decision on Akito's fate." He replied, instantly causing Kisa to let out a small gasp as the others around him all grew wide-eyed as well, including Naruto who stepped forward with a hint of concern on his face. He wasn't familiar with Tokuma, but he did know that if Tsunade sent a member of the Hyuga clan to find him it wasn't good.

"Fate? What does that mean?" He questioned, to which Akito slowly lowered his head and looked away, once again showing Kisa how much shame he held in his heart.

"It's… complicated." He replied, causing Naruto to cock his head.

"If you're in trouble let me talk to granny Tsunade for you! I'm sure I could convince her to get you out of whatever it was you did!" The boy immediately interjected in an effort to help. catching Akito by surprise, though he simply smiled and shook his head. He appreciated his desire to help him, but the last thing he wanted to do was get him in trouble with the Hokage.

"Thank you for your concern Naruto, but I'll be alright. Don't worry." He replied before looking back at Kisa, whose expression all but mirrored Naruto's, and then back to Tokuma.

"Let's go." Akito added, bringing the Hyuga before him to nod and begin walking back towards the village as Kisa ran up beside Akito, bringing them both to stop in their tracks. Looking into the boy's eyes, she swallowed nervously for a moment before turning back to Tokuma. They had been waiting to hear whether or not Akito would face trial as a criminal for days now, and she was not not going to let him stand in front of the Hokage to hear his fate alone.

"I'm coming too." She stated, to which he nodded in agreement before looking up at Takao who, with a sigh, shook his head and fell in line behind them.

"Alright, let's get this over with already. You two be good now, you hear me?" He commanded back to the two young shinobi behind them with a laugh as the group began to make their way towards the Hokage's office in near silence; the tension so heavy in that moment that Kisa could barely breathe. What if he did go to trial and was found guilty? Would they lock him away, or would his punishment be far more severe? What was going to happen to him?

After a short walk the four found themselves once again standing before the Hokage and her assistant, although this time Akito stood on his own feet and unbound from any chains or restraints; a sight that was far easier to digest to almost everyone present, including the Hokage herself.

"It seems like you are doing much better now as opposed to a few days ago, Mr. Himaku." The Hokage stated as she looked forward at the boy as he remained standing at attention with his hands behind his back in a formal manner.

"Being here in Konoha has given me a chance to both relax and see my friends. I couldn't have asked for more, even given the circumstances." He replied as the Hokage hummed to herself.

"Glad to hear it. We've been worrying about you ever since." She added, bringing Shizune to grin as seeing him now as opposed to how he was just a few days prior was like night and day, and was quite nice to see him closer to his usual self.

"I agree. You looked rough, though I'm not sure that's much different than any normal day." She added jokingly, bringing Akito to laugh as his own small grin as he looked down at the Hokage's desk.

"I'm sure I did." The boy responded as his chuckle dissipated, leaving a short silence to form in the air for a moment or two before the Hokage closed her eyes and took a deep breath to prepare for what was to come, bringing Kisa to hold her breath as she silently reached up and took Akito's necklace into the palm of her right hand. This was what they had been waiting days to hear, and although she had been trying her best to remain positive she knew that the possibility for everything to go wrong was very real.

"As I'm sure Tokuma has already told you, the village's council has come to a decision as to whether or not you should face trial for the carnage that was caused by your battle inside of Amegakure." She began as Akito lifted his chin up to prepare for whatever news the now stern-faced Hokage may carry and tightened his grip on his hands.

"He has." The boy replied as Tsunade stared him down.

"I have spent the greater part of the last two mornings presenting a score of different evidence to not only the council but to the leader of Konoha's Anbu as well, both incriminating you in what took place in Ame as well as defending your actions; all while making sure to remain as neutral as possible as to not risk the council believing my suggestion that you be released was biased." The Hokage added as Kisa bit the inside of her lip to try and relieve some of the anxiety pouring into her chest, so much so that she could find it getting harder to breath by the second, leading her to quietly yearn for the Hokage to cut right to the chase.

She had known that Lady Tsunade intended to side with Akito from the beginning all of this, but that didn't necessarily mean everything would be alright. Since she first came to Konoha in early spring she had been told several times by a few different people that the council was rather hard to persuade once their mind had been up, leading the only thought that repeated over and over in her head to be the question of what their decision had been.

"It was quite the task doing so, I assure you. The elders were not very keen about letting someone who could so easily cause so much damage leave here a free man, especially after hearing who exactly it was who had done such a thing and where you were from. But I did my best to convince them otherwise, and after nearly an hour's long deliberation the council elected to allow me to pardon Akito for what happened." She finally finished after what felt like an eternity, instantly causing a massive wave of relief to flow over the trio of friends.

"Really?" Takao questioned aloud in disbelief, bringing the Hokage to chuckle.

"Yes, really! Do you really think I would joke around about something like that?" She questioned as her attention turned towards Akito and a smile formed across her lips; the great weight that had been silently pressing down on his shoulders lifted.

"You are a free man once again, Akito. Free to do as you wish, to come and go as you please and you are no longer required to have either Takao or Kisa escort you." She added as she leaned back in her chair and placed her hands on her lap with a smirk.

"Try not to do this again, however… I can already feel that all this stress has taken hours off of my lifespan." She joked as both Shizune and Takao laughed, bringing Akito to smile a bit with a nod.

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. I owe you greatly." He replied, bringing Tsunade to laugh as she prepared to state that this was indeed the use of the favor he had been silently holding over her for so long, though upon seeing the look of happiness and relief on both his and Kisa's face as they turned to look at one another, she bit her tongue as her smile grew.

"Don't thank me. I trust you, believe your story, and I couldn't allow you to face trial and possibly even execution for something like that… especially when, in the end, it was all for the same goal that we are also desperately trying to achieve." The Hokage replied in reference to the removal of the Akatsuki as Akito returned his attention to her and nodded before again looking back at Kisa who, despite her best efforts to maintain her composure, could not help but smile widely in relief.

Before she could say anything on the matter however, Tokuma, who had remained silent until this moment with his arms still crossed, stepped forward towards him.

"If I may, however, I would recommend doing so silently from here on out. Other villages have heard of what was done as Ibaraki, so another incident as that alias is sure to draw more unwanted attention on yourself that we will likely be unable to assist with." He warned, much to Kisa's surprise. Although he had never said it directly she could tell that Tokuma had been holding some animosity towards the boy ever since his capture, likely because of the combat the two had engaged in, so to hear him offer helpful advice was rather unexpected.

"I understand. Like I said the last time Ibaraki died at the hands of you and your team that day, and I have no intention of reviving him… not even for Iwa's benefit." Akito responded, bringing the Hyuga to smirk and nod in agreement of the boy's release without a single objection, likely due to his undying loyalty to the Hokage and his faith in her decisions.

Seeing the brief exchange between the two men, the Hokage sighed and leaned her head against the palm of her hand in exhaustion. It was only a little past noon yet she was already drained, likely due to the heated dispute she had participated in early that day in the boy's defense.

"Well now that that's over with, and as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm afraid that I have other business to attend to. So if you wouldn't mind, I must ask you to leave my office." She stated aloud, immediately bringing the group to excuse themselves from the Hokage's presence and back out into the street destined for home where, unbeknownst to Kisa and Akito, Takao once again planned to cook quite the celebratory feast.

Following the conclusion of said meal, Kisa sat on the couch inside of their apartment's main living area and watched as Akito, who sat across from her on an opposing piece of furniture, tied his forehead protector loosely around his neck for the first time since they were all reunited.

Until now Akito had refrained from wearing his traditional clothing, his forehead protector or anything else that could have possibly tied him and Iwagakure to the crimes he had been accused of; a task that although he hadn't said anything about, she could tell weighed heavily on his mind. This feeling, this fear that he would never be able to return to what he once was, was something she understood well, as it was the same feeling she too suffered from when all of this began.

But now, with his name cleared and his ability to move freely restored, there was little reason hide his identity, allowing him to once again don his maroon colored uniform and brown vest to return himself to the boy she had first come to know so well in the springtime, forcing a small smile to return to her face.

"It must feel good to be wearing that again." She stated in reference to his clothes and, more specifically, the Iwa signage around his neck, bringing him to look up at her for a moment before kindly smiling and turning to his red clan jacket and brown flak vest folded up on the couch beside him, including the black, zipper-palmed gloves resting atop.

"It does. It's been quite some time since I was last able to wear this uniform, and I would be lying if I said it didn't make me feel… normal again." He replied as the girl nodded, though as she did so she watched as Akito's right hand went to his left arm and slid it's way across his bandages to his bare hand, the palm of which remained inactive from his battle against them in the forest and had appeared to have reverted to an almost tattoo-like state rather than a mouth. Knowing that he intended to reactivate the kinjutsu, the girl grew silent as she watched him form a few hand signs and place his thumb to his inactive palm, bringing the mouth to once again come to life.

However, instead of magically appearing and reanimating to its original self as she had somehow convinced herself it would, the flesh of his palm tore itself into the mouth shape, causing her to cringe as she watched his body shutter from what she knew had to have been a stomach turning sensation; a feeling she herself felt in her heart out of sympathy.

She had seen him reactivate his palms before, but never from a completely inactive state, bringing her to watch until the mouth had completely opened and his flesh had formed into its necessary yet bloodied state, at which point she stood from where she sat, walked to the empty seat beside him and sat down before taking his hand in hers to heal the self-inflicted wound.

"Thank you." Akito said softly as he watched the tears in his flesh slowly healing, to which Kisa looked up at him with a small yet concerned smile.

"Does it always hurt this bad?" She asked as the boy nodded.

"Yeah, but luckily I don't need to reactivate them often. This is only the second time since I've had them that someone has been able to disable one." He replied, though instead of continuing on the subject Kisa's mind drifted off to something else that had been bothering her tremendously since they learned of his exoneration hours before; what exactly he had planned to do now.

This question had crossed her mind several times over the past few days. What did he plan to do when this was all over? Would he stay in Konoha, or would he return back to Iwa? It was clear that he would no longer be operating as Ibaraki, she trusted his word on that, but would he continue to go out on these dangerous missions alone? Would he once again leave them behind? The uncertainty was killing her and on several occasions had kept her up well into the night with worry. She had to know.

"Akito... you never did say what you planned to do now that this is all behind us." She blurted after a second or two and just as his palm finished healing, bringing him to look up into her eyes. He knew that this moment would come and had been preparing for the best way to tell her, but that didn't mean what he was going to be any easier.

"I plan to stay here in Konoha for at least another day… but after that I will need to return back to Iwa." He replied, causing her to quiver a bit under her breath; his words confirming her worries and driving the growing pit in her stomach to deepen faster than before.

"Already?" She inquired as she reached up and took Akito's necklace in her right hand, forcing the boy's eyes to drift away from hers in an effort to hide just how awful telling her this made him feel; a feeling that was only made worse by the fact that reached for his necklace. After he returned from Iwa the first time he noticed that the girl often used his necklace as a source of comfort for her to turn to when she needed it most, so seeing her grab it now showed just how upset he was making her.

"I… I have no choice." He stated, causing a short-live silence that he interrupted a moment later as he looked back up into her eyes with obvious sadness.

"I'm glad I had the chance to see you again, to make sure you were alright… but with everything that has happened I need to go back. The village needs me; the Tsuchikage needs me." He replied, leading her to stare at him in disbelief. If he was so upset about having to go back, why was he doing it in the first place?

"There are other shinobi in Iwa, Akito. Other shinobi that your grandfather can count on. After what happened in Ame you need to rest, not rush off on another mission alone." The girl argued as Akito shook his head.

"I can't do that. The mission I was on is too important to leave to someone else… I need to see it through." He again objected, this time causing Kisa to retract her hand from his as her concerned expression grew to that of anger and frustration.

"Important? What could be so important about this mission, about these people, that you would be willing to attempt capturing them again after nearly being killed the first time?" She spat in response, bringing to light a bit of the anger he felt from her on the night she ran away, although instead of trying to alleviate her anger he instead took a deep breath and again looked away with continuing dismay. He was unsure of just how she was going to take what he was about to say, but in keeping with his promise not to lie to her he bit the inside of his lip and prepared to deliver the information regardless.

"The people I followed to Ame, the ones who I've been tracking… they're the same group who attacked us in the Land of Sound." He admitted softly, instantly causing Kisa's eyes to grow wide and her breath to tremble as the memories of those vile shinobi returned to her mind just as Takao, who had been eavesdropping from the kitchen as he cleaned up the cookware from dinner, leaned over the countertop in disbelief.

"Saburo's gang? Are you serious?" He questioned with a stern expression, bringing Akito to slowly nod without making eye contact.

"For over a month I've been searching for a group of three shinobi who have been actively seeking out the Akatsuki. There wasn't much information on them at first, just that they were popping up here and there around the Land of Earth's underworld, but eventually word got back to Iwa, and I was sent to stop them."

Still in disbelief about what he was hearing, Takao placed the bowl he was drying down on the counter with a loud clang and walked around the wooden surface to the living room to confront Akito face to face.

"How can you be certain it was them? There are likely plenty of small, power hungry gangs trying to join the Akatsuki after that stunt they pulled in Suna earlier this year. How do you know that it wasn't just some random criminals trying to act harder than they really are?" He questioned in opposition to what Akito was saying, bringing Akito to shake his head.

"It has to be them." He replied as Takao crossed his arms in a clearly irritated fashion, although Akito could not tell just who exactly his anger was pointed towards.

"How can you be so certain?" Takao replied, bringing Akito to grunt as the gruesome memory of what he saw returned to his mind. Why couldn't he just trust him?!

"Before I followed them to Ame I managed to track them down to a town just outside of the border between the Land of Iron and Earth. I was too late to intercept them there and lost their trail, but when I set out to find evidence of their intentions, I found a trail of bloodshed that was..." He began to explain before stopping as his eyes shifted towards Kisa who, although still just as shocked as before, stared at him with an almost undeniable request to hear what he was about to say that led him to take a deep breath.

"Was just like what they did to Jun." He added softly, again causing Kisa's eyes to grow wide and her breath to falter from her open mouth. In Akito's absence she had finally worked up enough courage to ask Takao what exactly it was that had happened to Jun, having never actually seen his body, and although he was hesitant to describe just what it was that Saburo had done to their best friend he did eventually do so, leaving her with a deep-seated anxiety she could still feel to this day.

Hearing this, Takao's displeased look quickly turned into a scowl as he angrily grabbed at his shirt beneath his crossed arms. When they fought them he allowed the young girl amongst them to retreat as an act of mercy, not knowing what they had in store for Jun, let alone the others. If he had known what these people were capable of, what they did to other people, not only would she have died that day, he would have fought his hardest to ensure the others did as well.

"Those god damn freaks. I can't believe they are trying to join the Akatsuki." He snarled under his breath as Akito subtly nodded in agreement. Their powers, their seemingly immortal bodies, were an asset he couldn't help but fear the Akatsuki acquiring, driving his desire to prevent the alliance between the groups from ever forming.

"That is why I've been trying to find them. Even with what little we know about their power they will act as a significant boost to the Akatsuki's resources… and I can't allow that to happen. I have to finish this mission and bring them to justice for what they've done to you and Jun... I have to stop them." Akito added in reply to his friend as Kisa remained staring at him in disbelief; unable to easily fathom that the group who had killed Jun had not only reappeared, but that they were the ones Akito had been trying to find on his own.

They were the ones who ultimately caused all of this, the ones who took Jun from them and who had orchestrated the events that changed their lives forever, and she would always remember waking up that night by Akito's side; the memory of the battle before, her branding with Orochimaru' curse and the pain in Akito's voice as he told her of Jun's fate.

But what else she could recall was the fact that when she came too after the Sannin's attack was seeing how badly Akito had been beaten, and although much of that had come from the many individual battles they had been forced to fight that day, she could still pick out the bite mark on his neck; a mark she found out afterwards was Saburo's attempt to consume his flesh just as he had done to Jun. He came so close to losing his life that day, so the thought of him out there trying to bring these three down alone was almost incomprehensible, driving her to speak up.

"Let us help you." She stated aloud to break the silence that had developed between the three of them, bringing Akito's eyes to drift back to hers in surprise. Come with him? That couldn't happen.

"Kisa... I can't let you two come with me." He responded, causing Takao to speak up.

"Why not? We have a stake in this too, you know. They killed our best friend, our partner, and threw us all head first into this whole shitty mess. They deserve to burn for this, and we deserve to help set that fire." He stated as Akito looked up to him and shook his head.

"I know you do, but these three are dangerous… you could-" He began to reply, though before he could finish the girl cut him off.

"Could get hurt? As if you won't if you go out there and try to fight them alone?" She replied in an irritated fashion as Akito looked down in shame at having upset her. She was right; he could easily be injured or killed by these three, but so could she and Takao, and that was something he wasn't willing to let happen.

"I will be alright." He replied without knowing really what else to say, throwing the girl over the edge as she stood to her feet in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. How could he be so stupid as to believe he would be able to stop these three on his own, even when they couldn't do so as a group of four? Did he want to die?!

"Why are you so opposed to us helping you?! Are you trying to get yourself killed, because you sure came close this time! Is that what you want?! To die out there by yourself where nobody even knows where you are instead of just letting someone else help?!" She shouted, surprising even Takao by the sharp tone of her words and causing Akito to look up at her momentarily in shock before dropping his disheartened eyes back to the floor. That wasn't what he wanted, not at all, but if it meant keeping them safe, keeping her safe… then that would be worth it.

"No, I just…" He began to reply as his voice tapered off and his mind yet again began to fight over what exactly he should say, tugging back and forth with whether or not to speak his mind before finally blurting out all that he could.

"I can't stand the thought of losing you." The boy said just loud enough to be heard, instantly causing Kisa's irritated demeanor to retract back into one of surprise as an uncontrollable blush formed across her face.

He was afraid to lose her? Did he mean the both of them or was that directed towards her specifically? Surely it could be taken as if he meant he was worried about them both, but if so, why did it seem to have a far more intimate meaning than that? Why did it feel that he truly was so afraid of losing her that he would be willing to go on this hunt alone to save her, even if it cost him his life?

Watching the speechless girl freeze in confused thought, Takao turned back to Akito and let out a small hum. He too had heard what he said under his breath, confirming that it was his feelings for his partner that were driving him to keep them away from the danger, though knowing better than to believe Kisa would find this acceptable he instead formulated an argument to support her position.

"You think that it is too dangerous for us to fight them, but yet you seem to ignore the fact that these men are far more dangerous to you by yourself than they ever could be if we all fought as a team. I understand that you want to keep us safe, keep Kisa safe… but just like you are afraid to lose us, we can't stand the thought of losing you." He stated as Kisa looked to him with even more of a flustered expression hearing him say what she had been thinking aloud.

Typically this would be the point at which she would yell at him for embarrassing her, but as he looked to her and slowly nodded to say that he knew what he was doing, she allowed him to continue uninterrupted.

"I'm not the best at this sappy crap, but I guess what I'm saying here is that you're our best friend, maybe a bit more than that to one of us, and we would both feel much better if you would stop fighting us on this and just accept the fact that, like it or not, we will be coming with you to fight Saburo and watch your back. Understood?" He stated, furthering Kisa's embarrassment even further and causing her to regret his decision to allow him to continue until a few seconds later when the boy slowly stood up from the couch, looked at both Takao and Kisa, and then slowly nodded.

"Alright." He replied without any further opposition, bringing Kisa's eyes to widen as Takao's wide grin returned.

"Yes! We're finally going to get the chance to fry those fucks!" He exclaimed with a laugh as Kisa stepped a bit closer to Akito and bit the inside of her lip to combat the knot in her stomach that formed from yelling at the boy; something she didn't like doing and wished to apologize for immediately.

"Takao's right. We're just worried about you and want to keep you safe… I'm sorry for yelling at you." She said softly as the boy turned towards her and looked into her bright blue eyes with a small smile.

"Don't apologize… it's alright. I know." He replied as he reached out and placed a comforting hand on her arm, causing her to smile and place a hand on his for a second before he lowered his head to try and hide the pink color growing across his cheeks, though after only a moment his smile faded.

"There is a problem though… with everything that's happened I've not only lost their trail, but I've also missed my check-in with Iwa's Anbu." He said softly as he lifted his head back up and slid his hand down her arm until it rested on her hand before letting go, knowing that what he was about to say could possibly be worse than the mention of his target's identity.

"I have to return home, both to check in with the village as well as see if there's been any news of their whereabouts." He added, causing Kisa's heart to sink a bit at the thought that he would once again leave without them, although before she could express her opposition to the matter Takao shrugged.

"So we'll come with you." He blurted out much to both Akito and Kisa's surprise, the latter of which immediately tensed up at the thought. Her? Go to Iwa? Throughout her entire life she had always told herself the only reason she would ever set foot in the Hidden Stone would have been to watch it burn, and while her willingness to go there changed when Akito was taken home with the injuries she inflicted upon him, she still held many, many reservations about going to that place.

But yet, despite everything in her mind telling her that she should never, ever go to such a vile place, she couldn't help but consider Takao's motion, which would have seemed insane to her only months prior, as something she would do. After all, she wouldn't be going there as a prisoner or even as a combattant, but as Akito's friend; his partner. This wasn't about her personal beliefs of grievances, it was about catching those who killed one of her best friends and keeping what became her closest friend safe.

Staring at Takao for a moment following his statement and knowing just how strongly Kisa despised his homeland, Akito looked to Kisa briefly before turning back to Takao and shaking his head.

"It's alright, I'll just head back alone and-" He began to counter, though as he did so Kisa shook her head and stepped forward to place her hand on the boy's shoulder to stop him.

"N-No, it's okay." She stated as she focused in on Takao's eyes and then quickly shifted to Akito's desperately seeking, and finding, the courage inside of her to what she never believed would be possible.

"We will go to the Hidden Stone."

Hearing her reply, Akito's eyes widened a bit in surprise as Takao grinned. He knew full well that she still held quite the reservations about that place despite her feelings for Akito, although as he expected, the chance to remain by his side took precedence over those fears.

"For real?" He questioned, causing Kisa to look at him and nod with a nervous yet assuring smile before looking out the window at the mid-afternoon sun.

"We'll let Lady Tsunade and Shizune know about our plans in the morning and set out from there." She added, instantly bringing Takao's smile to grow ten fold.

"Alright, road trip! Guess I gotta pack!" He exclaimed as he often did whenever he got word that he would be traveling a far distance before disappearing to his bedroom to gather what he believed would be essential items for the trip, leaving the two remaining shinobi to stand in a short lived dead silence as Akito searched for what to say.

"Kisa… are you sure you want to come to Iwa? I know how you feel about that place, and the last thing I want to do is make you go somewhere where you will feel uncomfortable." He finally stated after a second or two with his mouth open, bringing her to look back into his eyes as a blush-heavy smile formed on her face.

"I will be alright, I promise." She said softly as she reached forward and gently took his hand in hers in an effort to show him that she was not only committed to her decision, but sure that it was what she wanted. This was the first time she had taken in his hand for no other reason than to hold since the night of their date, forcefully causing his heart to race.

"Besides… I know you won't let anything happen to us." The girl added, once again bringing Akito to blush as he looked down at their hands and smiled with a subtle nod. He would keep them safe, that was a fact, and it appeared they wouldn't let anything happen to him, ethier.

"I promise, but I have to warn you that I'm not very good at showing people around." He replied, an obvious throwback to his comments about his dating skills that same night, causing the girl to giggle at the reference. That was very far from the truth.

"I'm sure you'll manage." She added before slowly letting go of his hand and setting off to pack as well, all while giving Akito a warm smile that left him standing still for a moment as his eyes drifted out to the sun. Everything seemed to be returning to how it once was despite everything that had happened over the summer, and while that came as quite the surprise, he couldn't say that he would want it any other way.


	28. Chapter 28: Iwagakure

Disturbed from the meditative state he had been in for much of the day by what sounded like the loud clanging of metal, Saburo slowly opened his eyes to focus on the large iron brazier lighting in the center of the room, the embers of which drifted up towards the roof and allowed him to see that night had fallen through the small vent-like openings above.

"Has Togusa returned yet, Miyuki?" He questioned in a stern, demanding tone, as he looked over the brazier at his clanmate, causing the girl, who had been sitting without a word in the corner alone, to look up at him; his remaining yellow eye piercing right through the darkness of the room with a ferocity brighter than even the hottests of embers drifting up to the sky.

"No, he hasn't. I haven't seen him all day." The girl replied as a heavy gust of wind battered against the plaster-coated structure they had been seeking shelter in, bringing the man to divert his gaze to the rattling shutters.

"The storm's gotten worse… there's nearly a foot of snow on the ground now. Do you think he's lost?" She asked in a somewhat concerned yet greatly apathetic voice as she pulled her knees up to her chest, to which Saburo closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh.

"He'll be fine, though I feel like his absence is more than likely a result of his own stupidity rather than that of any kind of trouble he may have encountered." The man replied with a hint of annoyance as Miyuki lowered her own glowing eyes down the ground in front of her. Saburo was right to believe there was little that could slow Togusa down besides himself, though part of her wished that were not the case.

With each passing day she could feel her resentment for her siblings growing, as well as her desire to escape it all, despite knowing that it was impossible. She had tried more than once before only to be caught by the combined efforts of her two cousins, each time resulting in a far more severe punishment. If one of them were to be killed it would be far easier for her to disappear, although with how their lives had played out it seemed that would never be.

It wasn't always this way; this never ending string of hating her existence. Infact, there was a time where she was cared deeply for both Togusa and Saburo, back when they first appeared to her and saved her from the destruction the rest of her family faced, though as life dragged on their deeds grew darker and darker that care was quickly placed with resentment, especially after their refusal to allow her to be left alone. She never wanted any of this… they just didn't care.

"You're right." She replied after her brief pause allowing a tense silence to once again fill the room against the howling wind and crackling fire, though after only a few minutes the large, heavy timber door separating them from the blizzard outside flung open, revealing the large, foul mouthed behemoth outside.

"Guah! Damn this fuckin' moutain and damn this fuckin' snow!" He cursed as he quickly pushed himself back up against the door to force it closed, leaving the two others to watch the snow that had blown itself in float aimlessly until its dissolution from the fire's heat.

"There you are. Miyuki was beginning to fear that you may have become lost." Saburo stated as his brother shook violently to shake off the cold that had set in and dropped both his signature weapon and heavy winter jacket at the door.

"I wasn't lost, I was stuck out there doing your job! You were the one who accepted that man's deal, you should be the one out there doing the dirt work!" He complained as he stepped towards the brazier to warm his hands with a scowl on his face, to which Saburo sighed and leaned his head against his hand in anticipation of a tedious argument.

"Come now, Togusa. This arrangement is only temporary. Soon we will be off of this mountain and, with any luck, will be on the way to finally reaching our goal; to finally fixing this… affliction that's come over us." He responded as his eyes narrowed on the now eye rolling behemoth.

"But of course, that all hinges on the completion of our task. I promised that man his army and the sooner it is raised, the sooner we can put this all behind us." Saburo added, causing Togusa to scoff.

"You agreed to this, not me. If it would have been my decision we would have taken that masked man and tortured him until he gave us what we wanted and then tossed his corpse somewhere to rot, not banked on his cooperation once we've delivered him the army of criminals and vagrants he wants. It was your convoluted plan that cost us the knowledge we sought back in the Land of Sound, and it will be your plan again that causes us to go without answers here." He retorted, bringing Saburo's eyes to widen as he stood from his seated position and walked towards his brother and the fire, revealing the brown eye that he had harvested from one of his foes to take the place of the one he'd lost in that battle.

"And it will be your arrogance that causes it to do so just as it did the ritual we underwent all those years ago, resulting in this whole mess from the very beginning." He barked in reply, causing the giant to grunt in irritation as Saburo looked around the room.

"I will warn you to keep your voice down and watch how loudly you voice your opinions about our partner. This may be our only remaining option to break this curse that's been placed upon us and the last thing we want to do is toss it away." He warned, again bringing Togusa to roll his eyes.

"I'm not afraid of that rodent." He replied, again causing Saburo's eyes to cast down upon him in annoyance.

"He may be a rodent to you, but I feel that there is far more to him than his ambitions; something we don't quite understand and would be fools to take lightly. The last thing we want is to make an enemy out of him… so on that note, what good news do you have for me?" He sternly replied, bringing his older brother to huff irritatingly before crossing his arms and turning back to the fire.

"It took me all day and I had to bust some heads, but it appears that I've secured at least another twenty men or so for the cause. Some are shinobi while others are just lowlifes… where they're going I doubt it matters much." Togusa replied, to which Saburo closed his eyes in thought.

"Twenty, huh? That brings our total up to just about a hundred; a bit more depending on just how many you've convinced to see our side of things. That'll be just a bit past half of what we need. If we keep it up for a few more weeks we'll have completed our half of the bargain and will be on our way to finally ending this century-long nightmare." He said aloud to himself as he turned around and slowly returned to his seat amidst another powerful gust of wind battering the side of their shelter, leaving Miyuki to look up at the two of them from the corner of her eye. Another week or two of this? Could they keep from killing one another that long?

Continuing their journey up into the mountains surrounding Iwagakure, Kisa's eyes darted around at nearly every little thing that caught her attention as her left hand grabbed nervously at Akito's necklace and the other gripped at the strap of her backpack. It had been several days since they set off for the Hidden Stone and although it seemed like a world away back then, they were now past the outermost mountains that formed Iwa's natural fortress, meaning it was only a matter of time before that dreaded village came into view.

This was all still very strange to her. Never before had she come so close to the place that took her father, to a place she had grown to hate since she was a child, and despite Akito's reassurance that everything would be alright she couldn't help but feel uneasy about their arrival there. Iwa and Kiri have had their issues in recent decades but it was Konoha that the Hidden Stone never truly saw eye to eye with, making her wonder whether or not being a Leaf shinobi was better or worse.

This was what Lady Tsunade first worried about when she told her of their plan to follow Akito to Iwa to help him, though after concluding that it was for a food cause she relented and granted her consent for their travel. This was surely only because Akito had promised the Hokage that he would keep them safe, but that didn't mean she herself wasn't hesitant. They were Akito's guests, but would that really be enough to keep them out of trouble?

"The air up here is certainly thinner than it was just an hour down the mountain. How do you people breathe?" Takao huffed out as he continued to trek along, bringing Akito to laugh.

"You get used to it after a while, I suppose. There isn't any point in the village below or above that change, so it's not as bad as it seems." The boy replied as he turned back around to look at Takao with a smile, though it quickly faded as he took notice of Kisa's uneasy expression. Ever since they entered the Land of Earth he had watched as she grew more and more uneasy, but knowing now that her anxiety was at its peak, he couldn't help but try and help make it at least a bit better.

"Hey… are you alright?" He asked softly as she looked to him, causing her to shake her head with a smile as she looked down at the road.

"Just a little nervous, that's all." She replied as Akito's smile returned albeit half heartedly. He knew that asking her to do this was a lot, even if it wasn't originally his idea.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." The boy said softly in an attempt to relieve her stress, a sentiment she appreciated despite shaking her head as a small grin formed on her lips.

"I'll be okay. Besides… who else is going to make sure you stay out of trouble?" She questioned as Akito laughed.

"Well I mean, Takao is here." He responded, bringing her to look up at Takao for a moment as he nearly tripped down the steep embankment to their left before looking back at the boy with a playfully sarcastic look.

"Yeah, okay." She responded sarcastically, again causing the boy to laugh as he too shook his head and turned his attention back to the road where he remained silent for only a moment.

"Thank you for coming with me, Kisa." He said softly, bringing the girl to look at him with a hint of surprise.

"Oh? When we first offered to come with you, I believe you threw a fit, so this is quite the change. Have you finally overcome your pride enough to realize how stubborn you were being?" She replied in yet another sarcastic manner, bringing him to shake his head with a short chuckle.

"I'm being serious. I know this is hard for you, and knowing you are doing this to watch out for me, it… it means alot that you are willing to do this just to make sure I'm safe." He added, to which Kisa blushed a bit; the genuine tone of his voice making it clear that his words came from his heart as they tugged on her own heart's strings.

"Don't thank me, Akito. That's what you do when you care about someone… remember?" She replied in reference to his own confession not long ago, bringing his own cheeks to darken as Takao, who had been listening from in front of them a bit, made a noise that mimicked gagging, instantly frustrating the girl.

"You have something to say, Takao?!" She fumed as the man scoffed and formed a wide, sly grin.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no… I just was wondering if I was going to have to deal with this all the time from this point on. If so and the two of you making googly eyes at one another is the new norm, I think I'll just throw myself off this cliff now." He replied as the girl growled and ran after him to kick him in the behind, chasing him past a large rock that shadowed a curve in the trail ahead.

However just as he passed by the large rock formation before them the shinobi came to an abrupt stop as the famed Hidden Stone village came into view; it's outline rising up from both the valley it was nestled in as well as the large stone gate that protected it, through the open gate of which he could clearly see the spiral structures that served as the village's backbone.

"Whoa!" Takao exclaimed as he stopped, allowing Kisa to catch up to him with the intent of striking him, though upon seeing the village in the distance she too froze and opened her mouth a bit in amazement.

This was the place she had resented so much? It's physical description matched what she had been told, but what it lacked was the inherently evil aurora she had always assumed floated in the air around it. She wasn't naive enough to believe that this feeling was in any way influenced by anything other than her relationship with Akito, but even with her opinion altered it was clear to her that Iwa just like many other places was simply another place someone could call home, albeit drastically different than any place she herself had ever seen.

Coming around the same boulder they just had, Akito's eyes immediately focused on his two frozen companions as a small grin formed on his face.

"Well, this is it. This is Iwagakure." He said as he came to a stop by Kisa's side, prompting her to turn to him as he continued to look up at his home with a content grin. She could see in his face that he was beyond comfortable being there; that this was his home and that he felt as if he belonged, making her somewhat lustful of that feeling at that moment as she too turned back to the village's skyline.

"It's much bigger than I assumed." She said softly in reply, bringing Takao to look back over his shoulder with a sly expression, prompting her to glare at him for a second before turning back to Akito as he spoke.

"It is. A lot of people call Iwa home, so in order to keep everyone inside of the village safe within the natural mountains and valleys that protect it, the founders of the village created these stone pillars for us to build our homes and businesses on." He replied as he looked to her for a moment before motioning his head in a suggestion to continue on and waited for her to nod in reply to do so.

"So you all live in these tower… beehive… things? We had towers like this back in Kiri, but not as numerous nor as large." Takao questioned aloud as they resumed their walk towards the village gate, causing the boy to laugh.

"No, not all of us. There are areas of the village that are flat, mostly closer to the base of the mountains. That's where many of the village's farms are, as well as my family's home." He replied as Takao hummed to himself.

"Will we be staying there tonight?" He questioned in a respectful tone due to knowing the fate of Akito's family, to which Akito paused for a moment before nodding.

"Of course. You are my guests, and I wouldn't make you pay for a room if you didn't have to." He laughed lightly with a somewhat halfhearted grin as Kisa frowned. She knew that this false smile likely had something to do with his family, or at least to do with their family home, but before she could question it the three directed their attention forward towards the gate as several Iwa shinobi stepped forward towards them.

"Akito Himaku? Is that you?" One of the shinobi called out to the boy who nodded and held a hand up towards his fellow shinobi, all of whom seemed a bit on edge, furthering Kisa's worry though Akito quickly stepped in to calm the situation.

"It's me! Everything's alright!" He called out as he stepped towards the gate, watching as the group of shinobi looked to one another and relaxed a tiny bit, although after a second or two more another shinobi appeared at the top of the gate and jumped down to the street in front of him.

"Well, well. Look who it is. About time you finally showed up. Have you seriously been in Konoha this time despite the Tsuchikage's orders not to go there?" The woman questioned as she crossed her arms, instantly bringing all eyes to rest on her as Takao grinned in a devilish manner as he reached up to fix his hair.

"Oh hey, I remember you! Kurotsuchi, isn't it?" He questioned in a smooth tone, though as two of the shinobi stepped towards him and drew their kunai he stopped mid stroke, furthering Kisa's anxiety as her own hand went defensively to her own pouch.

"I remember you as well... the loudmouth who held Akito hostage." Kurotsuchi replied in a clearly unamused tone before shifting her eyes past both Takao and Akito to the girl who she now clearly saw as the one the latter risked everything to protect.

"Which makes you Kisa, the woman who nearly killed him." She spat, causing the girl to grunt under her breath in discomfort as Akito stepped closer to her.

"Stop, Kurotsuchi. There's no need for this. They are my guests." He replied as the woman before him came closer as well until the two nearly stood chest to chest.

"Guests? These two nearly killed you a few months ago and now they are your guests?"

Hearing her bring up that event, Akito's face turned to a slight scowl.

"They did not nearly kill me and you know it. What happened was an accident." He replied as Kurotsuchi huffed.

"Sure it was. Next you're going to tell me that they're the reason you missed your check in, causing the Tsuchikage to once again send out search parties to see if you are even alive." The woman fired back before watching Akito's expression change just enough to show she was right, bringing her to scoff.

"Are you serious?" She asked as Akito shook his head.

"It wasn't their fault. My mission didn't go as planned… without them I'd be dead. They saved me and took me back to Konoha." He replied, again causing her to look past him towards the two shinobi before leaning into him in order to whisper.

"So you brought them here? Even as your guests, that wasn't smart. You know how our people feel about Kirigakure ninja." She said quietly as the boy shook his head.

"They aren't Kiri ninja anymore." He replied as the girl tilted her head to the side and shook her head.

"Like that's even the slightest bit better? That's _worse._ Much worse. After the last war between our villages how could you ever think that was a good idea?" She questioned, to which Akito looked over his shoulder towards Kisa and Takao.

"When that war occured most of us were children… I don't even remember it, and neither do you… neither do they." He replied as she too looked over at the duo momentarily before continuing to argue, bringing Kisa to swallow nervously and grab at his necklace as once again her anxiety ran wild, this time flushed with a hint of something else; jealousy.

It was crazy to her to even think of something like this in this moment, but with the way these two talked to one another, how close they stood and with the memory of just how visibly shaken she was at seeing how badly he was injured in March revived by the worry in her voice now, she couldn't help but feel as of these two shared some sort of bond. She knew that they had known one another since they were children and she wouldn't be as shallow as to believe she herself was the only person in the world Akito was close to, but just how close were they?

Annoyed with the seemingly sempiternal argument between them, Akito took a deep breath, closed his eyes and looked away from his longtime friend to cool down and collect his thoughts.

"Listen… things have happened; things that mean that Takao and Kisa now have a stake in seeing my mission finished. You of all people should understand that, and if not, then at the very least you will just need to trust me." The boy replied in one final rebuttal, once more bringing her to look past him towards Kisa for a moment. She knew that whatever he was talking about was a conversation for behind closed doors with the Tsuchikage, and after a second of staring the girl down the woman let out a short sigh. She knew that he would never intentionally steer her wrong nor would he knowingly put the village in danger, pushing her to cross her arms once more and look away as a sign of formal withdrawal from their dispute.

"Fine, but you'll have to state your case to the old man, not me. I know it isn't worth my time with the way he favors you and gives you what you want constantly, but I refuse to make this decision. If you're going to fuck up, it's going to be on his head." She said as she looked at the handful of Iwa shinobi around the two travelers and then back to Akito.

"Alright, I'll handle this from here. Let's go, and make sure your... friends… stay close by." The woman commanded before turning to head into the village as Akito grinned and turned towards Takao and Kisa with a subtle nod to show them it was safe to follow, finally allow the latter to relax enough to take her finger from the ring of a kunai at her side as quickly returned to Akito's side to take her first steps inside of Iwa.

Looking to her as she walked up beside him closer than she had been before, Akito smiled a bit in a reassuring manner.

"I'm sorry about that… Kurotsuchi can be a bit much." He said softly in a joking, lighthearted manner intended to relieve the stress he could see remained on her mind, bringing her to look at the woman before them.

"I've noticed. I had a chance to speak with her when she came with the Tsuchikage to bring you back home to Iwa." The girl replied, instantly causing a chill to climb Akito's spine as his face involuntarily formed an exasperated and somewhat nervous expression.

"R-Really? What did she say?" He replied abruptly as Kisa looked to him with a small smile brought on by his humorous reaction.

"Nothing really. She was angry with me for what happened. I don't blame her… she had every right to be mad at what I did." Kisa responded, bringing the boy to sigh in relief that she hadn't embarrassed him as her eyes turned to their escort and a bit of jealousy returned, causing her smile to diminish.

"She was really worried about you." She added as Akito looked at her and then back to Kurotsuchi.

"Onoki is her grandfather and she is one of his bodyguards, so I'm not surprised she was there, though I am a bit stunned she was so concerned about me." He replied as Kisa looked down to the stone pathway beneath their feet.

"I'm not. You two are obviously close, so I imagine it would be the same feeling if it were Takao who would have been laying there and I were in her shoes." She stated as Akito shook his head.

"Yeah, well… I guess. She is one of my closest friends, afterall." He replied, bringing the girl to fall silent as she looked up at the village around them. From a distance it was impressive to see the tall, spiraling towers and bridge-like walkways that connect Iwa together, but it was clear that to truly appreciate just how different and special this place was you had to experience it from the ground up.

However, despite finding herself interested in the sights around her she couldn't help but once again find herself thinking about Akito's relationship with Kurotsuchi, bringing her to speak up a minute or two later as the group reached the first layer of the village's inclined pathway system.

"You two are about the same age… did you grow up together?" She reluctantly questioned despite not knowing if she really wanted to do so, to which he nodded.

"When we were kids we were nearly inseparable, so much so that people used to make fun of her by saying that we were _together_. She used to get so mad over it that this one time she beat up one of our classmates for saying it, and then refused to talk to me for nearly a week." He continued as he looked down at the same path in thought and smiled, inadvertently causing the girl beside him to tense up with even more envy. Were they really so close that people used to think that they were more than just friends? Was that something that continued to this day?

"Really?" She replied due to the lack of anything else to say, again bringing him to nod.

"Yeah. Originally we were supposed to be placed on the same genin team, but before that could happen I was chosen to be sent to Konoha as part of the exchange program." He replied, though as he did so his smile died a bit.

"After that, after what happened… things were never the same. She, myself and Deidara remained close friends, but after he betrayed us and fled she and I drifted apart. I began to operate on my own, spend most of my time myself... but even so, and despite the fact that we argue so much, I know that she's always going to have my back." He replied, relieving some of Kisa's anxiety on the matter while simultaneously prompting Takao to speak up.

"Oh, so she's single?" He questioned aloud with a wide grin, instantly causing Akito's eyes to grow wide and his jaw to drop as their guide, who had been silently listening to the tale from a distance, froze and shuddered in disgust.

"No, Takao-" The boy tried to warn, only to be cut off as the woman quickly darted up towards them and came to a rest nearly up against his chest.

"Excuse me?! Do you even know who I am?!" She questioned sternly with her finger pointed towards the man's neck, causing him to hold his hands up to show he meant no harm.

"Y-Yes, I just, you know-" He began to try and weasel his way out of the situation he had gotten himself into, just as the four shinobi found themselves nearly swarmed by children in the streets, forcing Kurotsuchi to lower her finger in an effort to seem less threatening.

"Akito! Akito!" They exclaimed as they set in around them, bringing Akito to step forward to meet them with a smile as he held his hands out in a friendly way.

"Hey everybody! I'm glad to see you all are doing so well!" He said as the children all came to a stop before him.

"Where have you been? You've been gone for, like, forever!" One of them questioned as the boy laughed.

"I was out on a very important mission, but I came back. Just like I told you all I would." He replied as one of the boys in the crowd crossed his arms.

"Pssh, important? My dad says only the jonin like Lady Kurotsuchi get to go on important missions." He stated, instantly causing the woman behind him to cackle as Akito glared at the boy in dismay, though before he could answer a young girl in the crowd spoke up.

"We've been waiting for you to come back 'cuz you promised us some fireworks, remember?" She questioned as Akito's smile lessened a bit.

"I know I did, but I'm a bit tied up right now. I'm sorry." He replied, instantly causing the children to let out a collective cry of displeasure as he did so, prompting Kurotsuchi to turn her attention to the crowd of kids.

"C'mon now, he may not be a jonin but he's right. We're on our way to talk with the Tsuchikage right now, and I know you are all aware that it is a shinobi's duty to put the village first before everything else, right?" She questioned in the form of an educational lecture as she placed her hands on her knees to lean forward towards the children, prompting Kisa to watch for a moment before turning to Akito as he slowly reached his right hand back into his clay reserve.

Curious as to what he was doing, Kisa continued to keep her eyes on the boy's hand as he pulled a wad of clay from the pouch and ingested it with his hand, only to spit it back out into his palm a few seconds later in the form of a small ball with several bubble-like protrusions across it as he looked back at her and smiled softly.

Raising a brow, the girl watched as he tossed the ball in the air with his left hand and then used his right to send it whistling high up in the air with the help of his kekkei genkai, bringing the children, who had already become quite bored of Kurotsuchi's lecture, to look up just as Akito detonated the explosive mass with a single hand sign, filling the air with both colorful sparks as well as the screams of joy from the children who all desperately wanted to see the display.

Drowned out by the young one's screams of joy, both Kisa and Takao watched the fireworks above for a moment before looking to one another in amusement.

"I didn't know he could do that!" The latter of the two exclaimed with a laugh, bringing Kisa to look at Akito, only to find herself captivated by the small smile that had formed across his face as he watched the sky above. She couldn't exactly explain what it was that made her heart flutter in that moment, but seeing him there was enough to inflame the already deep adoration she silently held for him.

Caught off guard by his move, Kurotsuchi looked up at the colorful balls of sparks above her with great frustration before turning back to Akito and his friends, though her eyes immediately diverted to the girl at his side who stared at him with a great sense of infatuation, bringing her to huff.

"I had just finished teaching them a lesson about how their duties as a shinobi should always come first over playtime. Did you really have to go and be a big showoff?" She questioned in irritation as the children all scattered to run amongst the falling sparks, bringing Akito's smile to grow a bit as he placed the hand guilty of creating the fireworks in his pocket.

"They have plenty of time to learn about being a shinobi, but right now they are children." He replied, to which the woman crossed her arms. As much as she didn't like having to be serious, she knew that it was important to show these children that she was someone from whom they could learn, especially if she really was to take over her grandfather's position as kage some day.

"I liked it better when you were missing. At least then you weren't always on my nerves." She responded as calmly as she could before spinning around to resume her walk as Akito turned to his two friends with a grin.

"What?" He questioned after realizing that the two of them had been staring at him, bringing Takao to laugh.

"Boy, you really are just chock-full of surprises." He replied as he walked past him to continue following Kurotsuchi and patted Akito on the shoulder, leaving him and Kisa alone.

"That was nice what you did for those kids, Akito. That really made their day." She said as the boy looked towards the children running in the distance.

"I know. I promised them I would give them some before I left, so I wouldn't have felt right telling them no." He replied as Kisa smiled.

"Do they always hound you for fireworks?" She asked as they started to walk again, to which Akito shook his head.

"Not always. Once in a while they ask for something else like help with academy assignments and whatnot. I guess some of them see me as someone they can look up to because of my family's name, but I don't know. They're too young to understand that I'm not the kind of person they should look up to." The boy replied in a somewhat disheartened manner, bringing Kisa to frown. Did he really think that? If so, he was wrong. He was one of the sweetest, most loyal and caring people she had ever met, and any of them would be right to see him as a role model. If the world had more people like him, it would be a much better place.

"Don't say that, Akito. They are lucky to have someone like you around to teach them, someone they could look up to." The girl responded, causing the boy's face to darken.

"Y-You really think so?" He questioned, bringing her own cheeks to blush a bit as she nodded.

"I do. You'll be a great sensei to some of them one day." She added, darkening both of their blushes as Akito rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"O-Oh, I don't know about that." The boy responded, bringing Kisa to shake her head at his modesty as she looked around at the town around them as they continued to climb up to the first set of bridges leading to the Tsuchikage's office which, given it's huge side and prominent signage, she knew was the largest building at the center of the village. Soon they would be face to face with one of the most powerful shinobi alive, and all she could do was hope he was as kind as he was the night before he departed Konoha.

Coming to a stop just outside of the doors leading into the Tsuchikage's office after what seemed like the longest walk ever, Kurotsuchi turned back to the group and placed a hand on her hip.

"Alright, listen up. You two are going to show the utmost respect in the presence of the Tsuchikage, understood? You may have met him once before and he may have been tolerant of you then, but that doesn't mean he's going to be so now, and you will not argue with him or raise your voice. Understood?" She questioned as Akito sighed and shook his head.

"Don't listen to her. Onoki spoke kindly of you two, at least by his standards. Everything will be fine." He disputed, instantly catching a glare from the woman as he did so.

"Tsk. We'll see." She replied before turning and opening the doors to the office, instantly causing the Tsuchikage himself as well as his loyal bodyguard Akatsuchi to come into view.

"Akito!" The man exclaimed as the group stepped through the doors into the large office space, prompting the boy to wave.

"Hey Akatsuchi! Sensei." He said as he shifted his view to his sensei and bowed out of respect, bringing both Takao and Kisa to do the same as the Tsuchikage's eyes narrowed on the group. Just like Kurotsuchi he could tell that the two Leaf shinobi Akito brought with him were the friends he had returned to help months prior, regardless of their change in appearance and possession of Konoha forehead protectors on their neck and sheath strap respectively.

"So you went to Konoha after all, even though I expressly forbade it.." He stated aloud with a bit of distaste as the boy walked forward towards his kage and shook his head.

"It's not like that, Lord Tsuchikage." The boy replied, bringing the old man to place his hands on his lap.

"Then how was it? The last we heard from you, you were heading to Amegakure to pursue the group we were told about from up north. How did you end up in Konoha?" He stated in a silent command for an explanation as Akito prepared his story for what felt like the millionth time.

"I manage to track the three shinobi to Ame like I planned, but after infiltrating the village I was ambushed, both by Ame shinobi as well as a rather powerful member of the Akatsuki… someone we've never heard of before. I managed to escape but I was in really bad shape." He stated, bringing Onoki to look back to Takao and Kisa.

"But that still doesn't explain how you came to end up in Konoha? If you were injured, why didn't you return home?" He questioned as Akito looked over his shoulder towards Kisa who, despite her heightened anxiety at the whole situation they had found themselves in, stepped forward and waited for the Tsuchikage to nod in permission to defend Akito.

"Konoha's been receiving reports about a masked man inquiring about the Akatsuki for some time now; Ibaraki, they called him. For the most part the reports went unanswered as they did not appear to be credible enough to waste resources on investigating, but after what happened in Ame that changed. We were sent out to find Ibaraki, to try and figured out if his activity was related to the Akatsuki, but when we caught up to him-" She began to explain before being interrupted by another's voice.

"You found Akito instead." It called out, prompting all eyes in the room to turn to the open window as in-jumped Aoi; the Anbu member who had also escorted the Tsuchikage on his voyage to recover Akito from Konoha.

"So that was you in Ame, then. The one who caused mass destruction inside of the village's core." He stated as he planted his feet on the ground beside the Tsuchikage, to which Akito nodded as Aoi scoffed beneath his mask.

"At first the rumor was that it was Deidara who attacked the village, but after a few days that information changed to an unknown man wearing a green cloak, bearing greey armor and the mask of a demon. I had wished you couldn't have been so reckless as to have done such a blatantly risky thing, but I see now that I was wrong. You put yourself at risk of being exposed and our people of being dragged into war. How could you be so stupid?" He questioned harshly, bringing Akito to look away with renewed shame as Kisa to grunt under her breath.

Aoi seemed to hold the same demeaning, punitive tone towards Akito as he did the day they came to Konoha, and this coupled with the fact that he was the reason Akito was forced to wear a kill seal twisted her stomach into a knot. Why did he dislike him so much? Why did he ever do to him?

"I was outnumbered and facing someone who possessed abilities I've never before seen." The boy replied regardless of his verbal lashing, bringing Aoi to step closer in challenge to what he was hearing.

"I find it hard to believe that with your skillset, kekkei genkai _and_ the aid of a cursed mark that you had trouble dealing with a single man, Akatsuki or not. Describe them to me." He demanded, to which Akito groaned under his breath in frustration.

"I'm not sure, exactly. To me it appeared as if he had the ability to control gravity; pushing and pulling objects as he saw fit… even pulling me right into a blade he created out of thin air." He replied as Aoi looked down a bit in thought.

"I've never heard of such a thing, though it is possible you aren't giving accurate details of this ability. Whatever the case, escaping was the wrong thing to do. We've all taken an oath to keep the village out of our affairs, even if it meant taking your own life and destroying the evidence. You should have used the Body Elimination Technique to destroy all evidence of yourself and the village's involvement like I told you." The man scolded with little emotion, causing Kisa to let out a short gasp under her breath.

"You really would have preferred it if he had killed himself? He saw the chance to run and did so successfully… isn't that better than losing him forever?" She questioned, instantly causing the man's hidden eyes to cast their gaze upon her in annoyance of her outspoken opinion.

"When it involves putting countless lives at risk, yes. And I would advise you to keep your opinions to yourself. You may be Akito's guests, but I assure you that to the rest of the village you are nothing but outsiders… outsiders that many shinobi in this village would like to see thrown off the cliffs to their death." Aoi responded, bringing Takao to growl as he pushed Akito to the side and stepped towards Aoi to protect his friends, instantly causing the Anbu to hold a kunai to his neck, Kurotsuchi to step forward towards Kisa and Akatsuchi to move in front of the Tsuchikage to protect him in the impending fight.

"You're not going to threaten us like that, ya hear me?" Takao growled under his breath as his hands remained at his side away from his weapons, to which Aoi chuckled beneath his mask.

"Such a big mouth for someone in such a bad situation." He replied as Kisa watched on nervously; this incident mimicking their near-scuffle at the gate a short while before almost perfectly, though her eyes shifted to Akito as he ground his teeth and stepped forward.

"Stop!" He exclaimed as he pushed Takao and Aoi away from one another to separate the two of them, prompting the Anbu to shift his angered eyes down on the Himaku, though before he could react how he intended the Tsuchikage stood up from his chair and slammed both of his hands down to the hardwood desk.

"Alright, that is enough!" He ordered out of frustration, bringing Aoi to further step away from the loudmouth swordsman out of respect for Onoki's wishes as the old man looked around at everyone in the room and closed his eyes, only to turn his sight back to Akito a moment later after a calming second of silence. Outsiders or not he agreed with Akito that there was little need for bickering let alone bloodshed, especially not while inside of his office.

"It seems to me that every time you return from a mission, emotions run wild and there are heated words to be exchanged, Akito." He stated in a somewhat joking manner, bringing the boy's stern expression to soften a bit as he rubbed his head.

"It would appear so, sensei." He replied, as the old man stood up straight, placed both his hands behind his back and looked at Akito's friends independently for a moment before resting on Kisa; their conversation the night before he took Akito home still quite crisp in his old mind.

"Thank you for helping Akito in his time of need, intentional or not. It's not easy for me to say that I am thankful for… well, anything really, but especially when it comes from outside of our own means." He stated, causing Takao to look back at Kisa before they both nodded in reply and watched the man return his focus to Akito.

"So you were unable to apprehend the trio of shinobi who were causing all the fuss here in the Land of Earth, _and_ the disguise you were using to operate anonymously has been compromised. That is unfortunate, but we all knew that it wasn't going to last forever." He stated as he turned around and walked towards the window to look out at the village below.

"Were you at least able to find out the identities of the three shinobi in question?" The Tsuchikage asked as Akito nodded.

"Their names are Saburo, Togusa and Miyuki, and they are the same three siblings who I encountered earlier in the year… the three who tricked Kisa, Takao and their fallen comrade Jun into accepting a mission to attack an Otogakure facility and then attempted to kill them in return." He replied, bringing Onoki to look over his shoulder at the boy in surprise before turning back outside.

"The seemingly indestructible cannibals. Hmm." He replied as he did so, leaving Kurotsuchi to turn to her grandfather as a wide smile formed on her lips.

"Let me go after them this time. I'll pick a group of our best shinobi and make short work of these freaks." She stated as Takao huffed.

"Being hard to kill isn't their only talent. They feel no pain, and where one is a behemoth amongst men, the other is a swift, cunning swordmen. They are extremely dangerous and can't be taken lightly… that's how we lost Jun." He stated as the shorthaired kunoichi looked to him and placed a hand on her hip.

"And what about the third? Are you going to tell me she can bring back the dead?" She questioned sarcastically, bringing the man to look down at the ground in thought.

"No. She seemed… normal. Scared, but normal." Takao added as Aoi chimed in.

"This is a problem. Even with how little we know about the group it is clear that these talents of theirs will only serve to assist the Akatsuki. If some kind of conflict with the group is near, then it would be most beneficial to see these three eliminated before they cam be integrated into their ranks." He stated as Kurotsuchi bobbed her head sarcastically.

"All the more reason to let me get them then!" She called out, though almost immediately the Tsuchikage shook his head in protest.

"No Kurotsuchi, I don't think that's a good idea." He stated much to the girl's dismay, causing her to gasp.

"What, why not?!" She cried out in annoyance as Onoki huffed.

"I need you here in case something else comes up. The situation across the world is deteriorating rather quickly and should something suddenly come up I need you to be ready to respond." He stated aloud before placing his hands behind his back once more.

"Besides… based on their presence here in Iwagakure, I can already assume that Akito's friends are here for a reason other than making sure he made it home safely." He added as he turned his attention over his shoulder towards Akito, Takao and Kisa once more.

"So I guess the real question is what exactly is it you plan to do now." He added as Akito looked back at his friends, both of whom subtly nodded to express their commitment as he stepped towards the Tsuchikage's desk.

"I am requesting that you allow Takao, Kisa and I to track down these three and finish this fight." He declared, causing Kurotuschi's jaw to drop at his brazen request.

"Eh?!" She cried, but before she could protest the Tsuchikage let out a short humm of thought and nodded his head.

"Alright." He replied, even furthering Kurotsuchi's anguish.

"You're really going to allow Akito to go back out there with these two, even after everything that's happened?! Don't you remember the last time you let him go off on his own with them?" She fired back, bringing Onoki to sigh in exasperation.

"I know you are concerned about Akito's safety, but I assure you that if I had any real belief that these two were going to hurt him I would have denied the request instantly." He replied, causing the woman's face to darken in frustration.

"I-I am not concerned about him, I'm concerned about the mission! If they fail and these three get away not only will they have failed to stop them from joining the Akatsuki, but they will have opened Iwa up for reprisal! This has to be done right!" She argued as Aoi turned his head towards the kage's granddaughter and then to the man himself.

"Lady Kurotsuchi is right; if they fail and we are exposed as openly attacking the Akatsuki we will run the risk of triggering a retaliation that could cost us innocent lives, let alone putting you at risk, my Lord. If two of their men were able to infiltrate Suna and capture the Kazekage without much effort, I am hesitant to test their combined strength without the proper intelligence on them to do so. However, this means that you will risk the same chance in the unlikely event you fail as well, Lady Kurotsuchi." He stated as the woman scoffed, bringing the kage to look back at him.

"What course of action would you suggest then?" He questioned as the Anbu redirected his attention back to Akito.

"We send Akito after them again, this time using the name they gave him to instill fear in anyone else who may wish to join the Akatsuki. And as for these two, I will make sure they are expelled from the Land of Earth as soon as possible." The man added as he looked towards Takao and then Kisa, causing Akito to growl under his breath as he stepped in front of her in a protective manner similar to how he resisted Raigetsu in Konoha, again causing her heart to flutter.

"You aren't going to take them anywhere!" The boy snapped in retaliation to Aoi's threat, instantly causing the masked man to lean forward towards him in an intimidating manner.

"Part of the deal when we offered you that mark on your neck was that you would continue to be an asset to the village for the time being, following orders without question nor delay. The second you agreed to those terms compliance became involuntary… have you forgotten about that seal on your neck?" He questioned as Kisa again gasped under her breath at the mention of the kill seal. Was he really threatening him with the seal just to bring him into line? What was wrong with him?!

"Don't you dare threaten to harm him with that vile thing! You don't know what happened to him out there, what he had to go through... if he doesn't want to be Ibaraki you should respect that." She responded in order to defend the boy the same way he had just done for her, causing the Anbu to stare at them as Onoki turned around towards the two of them and huffed.

"I agree with Akito on this, Aoi. Ibaraki's name is now known to half of the shinobi world, making him a target for more than just the Akatsuki, and any more usage of that alias will only put Akito into further, unnecessary danger." He declared as the masked man stared at him for a moment before stepping back away from the boy and nodding.

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage." Aoi responded as Onoki returned his eyes back to his student and the woman who so sharply defended him, reminding him further of their conversation back in Konoha.

"The subject of the three mystery shinobi remains however, so it is with moderately reduced reservations that I ask you three this: can you think that you can bring them down in a discreet, timely manner that will both ensure that they do not escape to alert the Akatsuki to our plans, as well as offer the best chance of your survival?" He then questioned, causing Takao's stern expression to shift into a smirk once more as he walked forward and placed his arm on Akito's shoulder.

"Of course we can. I mean, we were able to bring down Akito, afterall; curse seal and all!" He exclaimed as Kurostuchi rolled her eyes in disgust, bringing Akito to look at his mentor with a subtle nod.

"We will get it done, sensei. I promise." The boy replied, to which the Tsuchikage took a deep breath and nodded.

"It's settled then. Given the circumstances, I will allow you and your friends to find these three and bring them down before they can become any bigger of an issue here in the Land of Earth." He decreed as Aoi stepped forward towards three.

"It won't be as simple as that, however. Since your failure in Amegakure we've lost track of the trio as well as the other Akatsuki cells we were following, likely due to the events that took place there that day. We have teams out there searching for the trail, but until we hear back from them we have no leads." The man stated in a rather monotone voice, clearly displeased by the loss of Akito as an agent as Onoki nodded and looked back at Akito.

"I will keep you updated on what Aoi's men find, but I suggest you remain prepared to head out at a moment's notice." He added before turning to Takao and Kisa with a somewhat softened stare, though he did his best to remain as official as possible.

"In the meantime, however, I welcome you to Iwagakure. You have my permission to stay here for the duration of this assignment but you will be required to stay with Akito at all times, understood?" The Tsuchikage stated as the two partners looked to one another and nodded.

"Yes Lord Tsuchikage. We will." The girl replied before looking to Akito with the same relieved grin he held on his lips. However, as the Tsuchikage turned around he lifted his finger up with one last thought.

"And do refrain from abducting Akito again, please. I'm growing quite tired of having to track him down."


	29. Chapter 29: Guests

Opening her eyes to the sound of a bird chirping on the window ledge in front of her, Kisa watched the yellow and red colored animal for a moment before rolling onto her back and letting out a short yawn. From the sun's position on the mountains outside she assumed it was just a little past nine in the morning, a guess confirmed by the clock on the dresser opposite of the window, bringing her to close her eyes in thought as she pulled the blanket close to her eyes to combat the cool mountain breeze blowing through the windows.

Despite everything that happened after their arrival at Akito' best efforts to make her and Takao feel secure with their surroundings and as comfortable as possible she still believed that she would have had a hard time sleeping in what still felt like a hostile place in the back of her mind. That didn't seem to be the case however as much to her surprise she couldn't recall having too hard of a time falling asleep and now, waking up now in his bed with the warm, soothing sheets nestled atop her, it would appear that she actually slept quite well; something she never would have thought was possible.

Of course, she couldn't deny that part of the reason why she may have felt so comfortable was just where she slept. When they first arrived back at his home he made sure to show them around as all good hosts did when inviting someone in to one's house, at which point he showed them where they would be staying the night. Takao had been given the master bedroom that had once belonged to his parents to both his amusement and satisfaction at the large bed while she was offered Akito's own bed, despite the fact that there was a third, unoccupied bedroom that she knew once belonged to his late brother, Akihiro.

At first she contested the decision as she felt it wasn't right to push him out of his own bed to allow her to be comfortable but Akito insisted, saying that it was by far the cleanest bedroom in the house and that he didn't want her to sleep in a dusty room, bringing her to accept his kind offer without any further objection. Stewing over her decision for some time as she struggled to fully relax at the thought of sleeping in his bed the girl eventually found herself comfortable enough for her weary body to begin drifting off to sleep, but ultimately it wasn't how tired she was that put her mind to rest; it was the way that the bed still smelled like Akito.

As embarrassing as it was for her to even think that this could be the case there was no denying that the fresh, slightly floral scent that lingered on the sheets around her filled her with a feeling that she couldn't quite explain. It was calming, bringing with it the feeling of warmth and solace he had shown her several times over their friendship while also remaining strong enough to keep him at the forefront of her thoughts, and she reopened her eyes and focused down at the sheets at her nose, she couldn't' help but wonder what he was up to. It was in the mornings before Takao woke up that she had the most time with Akito without the crippling immaturity the former typically brought to the table, causing her to seek him out.

Taking one last breath, Kisa sat up, pushed the blankets over her down to her lap and stretched her arms out wide, forcing her muscles to wake up as her vision looked out to the other houses within his family's neighborhood, all of which sat abandoned and many in a state of disrepair following the demise of their owners. When Akito told them that his family lived in a compound she had imagined something small and reminiscent of a few of the smaller clan homes in both Konoha and Kiri, but what she found was that his family actually occupied a fair-sized part of the northern outskirts of town, similar to what she knew as the abandoned Uchiha District back in the Hidden Leaf though significantly smaller.

Folding the sheets back as she shifted her legs to the side of the bed, she let out one final yawn before standing up to her feet and fixing both the loose-fitting tank top and shorts she often wore to sleep so that her stomach wasn't showing as well as her hair which had become quite disheveled throughout the night, all while looking around at the room around her.

By the time they made it to the house the night before it was nearly sundown, leaving little natural light in the home for her to really take in what his bedroom looked like. The walls were light brown and there wasn't anything out of the norm for someone Akito's age, although notably absent from any of the surfaces of his dressers or nightstand were pictures of her family, but with everything that had happened she could understand some semblance of just why that was.

Her hair and clothes fixed to an acceptable level, Kisa picked up her light pink colored hoodie she had brought with her in preparation for the colder late-summer mountain temperatures, zipped it up until only a bit of her chest and Akito's necklace remained visible and made her way towards the hall.

Double checking to make sure she was presentable due to a somewhat childish and partially uncharacteristic fear of looking unattractive to Akito, she opened the door and exited the bedroom before being immediately struck by the sound of Takao's boisterous snoring which, despite being behind closed doors, was almost enough to echo through the mountains.

Suppressing a laugh with the shake of her head she carefully made her way past the master bedroom and down the stairs towards the living room of the home, bypassing the pre-packed travel bags they had made in order to set out on a minute's notice and peeked her head around the corner to make sure Akito wasn't in the middle of something else before calling for him.

"Akito?" She asked as she stepped into the wide open common area and looked around, though with no sight of the boy her attention redirected to the couch where it appeared he had spent the night. When she accepted his offer to sleep in his bed she just assumed that he would have slept in Akihiro's room, but now, seeing that she had pushed him out of a bed all together, she couldn't help but form a small frown. He really gave up being comfortable so that she would be?

Calling his name again to no avail the girl instead turned her attention to looking around at what she knew would have been the place he and his family spent most of their time together. This too was not at all out of the ordinary for a normal family's home, but what she did take some excitement in was the central fireplace as there atop it's mantle was what she was most interested to see; pictures.

Calmly walking up to the fireplace in spite of her impatience, Kisa quickly browsed over the handful of picture frames in front of her and immediately set her eyes on one picture in particular that showed a young Akito, Deidara and Kurotsuchi together, the later of which stood with a wide smile and her arms hung around their necks pulling them into a tight hug while both bows scowled in displeasure.

Taking the frame in her hands as she cleared away the dust with her thumbs, she couldn't help but form a small albeit jealous smile at the image before her, although before she could dive any further into the image her eyes shifted to the largest of the pictures before her; a large photograph of his family that she wasted no time taking her hands, clearing of dust and scouring for the boy's, both of whom stood in the foreground in front of their parents.

As she assumed, the two brothers appeared to be nearly identical to one another save or their age. Akito was small then, maybe only seven or eight, while Akihiro appeared to be closer to twelve; his forehead protector indicating that he was already a shinobi at the time. Akito also appeared to have had longer hair as opposed to his brother's shorter cut, making him appear to her nothing less than a smaller version of himself. This, coupled with the wide smile on his face as opposed to Akihiro's tamer expression brought a small smile to form on her lips at just how adorable a tiny Akito was, though her glee calmed down as her eyes shifted up to their parents behind them.

His mother Mieko, as she recalled from Lady Tsunade's story, was a beautiful woman. She had light brown hair that extended just past her shoulders, bright green eyes and a kind, compassionate smile that she could tell was brought on just by her family being together. She could see Akito in both her eyes and smile, and without ever hearing her speak she knew that Mieko was where he got his heart.

His father Shigeo, on the other hand, seemed far more stern; as if he didn't care for the photograph all together. He was tall, with dark brown bangs that extended to just below his ear from beneath the bandana-style forehead protector, and that connected to the light facial hair that followed his jawline all the way to his chin where it formed into a goatee.

Like his mother's heart she could tell Akito inherited his appearance form his father save for his facial hair, though if she had to guess it seemed that it was Akihiro who took after Shigeo's mindset as while the boy tried his best to remain serious, Akito didn't seem to care, bringing her to realize just how much had changed since their deaths. He was once so happy and carefree, and although she could still see some of that in him, she could certainly tell that everything that has happened has had a crushing toll.

Snapped from her thoughts by the sound of the front door closing, Kisa quickly returned the family photo to the fireplace mantle before making her way towards the kitchen.

"Akito?" She called out as she stepped up to the pass-through that separated the kitchen from the living room, bringing the boy she called for to look at her with a bit of concern and surprise as he set a large bag of what appeared to be groceries down on the counter, though as it became clear that everything was alright his worried was replaced by a warm smile.

"Hey, good morning. How did you sleep?" He questioned as she smiled back in return and brushed a loose hair from her face.

"Good morning. I slept well." She replied as her eyes turned from his face, which had caused her to think back to him as a child once more in embarrassment, to the grocery bag in front of him with a bit of guilt.

"It looks like you didn't, though." She added in reference to him being up and about so early, to which Akito looked down at the groceries and upon realizing what she meant shook his head.

"No, I did. I just… it's been a while since I've really spent any amount of time here, so there isn't really any food in the house, even less so than there was when we first got back to your apartment in Konoha, and I wanted you and Takao to be able to have breakfast when you woke up." He replied as he began to unpack the things he had purchased, much of which appeared to be normal, everyday items such as eggs and bread.

"You didn't need to do that. You're already letting us stay here, and that's more than enough. Especially since Takao is probably upstairs getting drool all over your parent's bed." She stated gingerly with the intent to make him laugh without upsetting him which, much to her relief, was the case, bringing him to laugh.

"It's fine, and regardless I still wanted to make sure you two could eat. You both made me comfortable and welcomed in your home, so I owe it to you to do the same." He replied as the girl continued to watch him unpack.

"You don't owe us anything, Akito. Besides, didn't the Tsuchikage tell you to keep us in your sight at all times?" She asked with a small grin, to which the boy shook his head and chuckled once more under his breath.

"He did, and it wouldn't have been an issue if Kurotsuchi hadn't seen me from the street as I was checking out. She yelled at me a bit, but she won't tell him. Well... probably. Either way, it's okay." He replied as the girl shook her head.

"You could have left a shadow clone or even a clay clone behind to keep an eye on us, even if it was just in case she showed up. Why didn't you?" She asked, as the boy looked up to her with a smile.

"Because I trust you and I didn't want to give her any reason to think I didn't should she have shown up unannounced." He replied, filling her chest with a reassuring warmth though as their eyes returned to one another he pulled something rather peculiar from the bag; a glass jar with what appeared to be some sort of cloth covering the lid and tied with a piece of twine.

"What's that?" She asked as the boy broke his eyes from her piercing blue orbs and looked down at the item in his hand with a small grin.

"It's kinda of like a jam that's only made here in Iwa, more specifically from the fruit of the trees growing on the mountains surrounding the village." He stated as he set it down on the counter and undid the twine holding the cloth over the cork lid, allowing the girl a better view.

"It looks like mud." She replied as Akito laughed. Pulling a knife from it's holder on the counter top, he carefully cut a thin piece of bread from the loaf and pulled the cork from the jar.

"It may look like mud, but I promise it doesn't taste like it." He replied as he took a bit of the preserves on the knife, smeared it across the edge of the bread and handed it to her, bringing her to stare at him for a second or two before taking it in her hand. Normally she wouldn't be inclined to try something like this, but knowing that he wouldn't intentionally give her something she wouldn't like she carefully took a bite; it's tart yet sweet taste causing her eyes to widen a bit as she did so.

"You were right. It certainly does not taste like mud." She replied while holding her hand over her mouth, bringing the boy to smile as he offered her the knife to take some more.

"This has always been one of my favorites, and if you like this, you really would have enjoyed my mom's." He added as Kisa tilted her head a bit to express her interest.

"She made her own?" She questioned as she sat down at the counter, to which Akito nodded.

"She did, and believe it or not, I helped." He replied as Kisa shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't believe you." She added playfully, causing the boy to laugh.

"It's true! I used to help her gather the fruit on the cliff sides as well as cook it. My father was never a big fan of me doing so as he believed my place was out in the yard learning how to be a shinobi, but my mother used to always tell him that I had plenty of time to be a shinobi, and that I was just a child. I still have her recipe, though I haven't made it since they died." Akito replied, the close correlation to his mother's words and what he said to the children who wanted fireworks the day before standing out from his story and causing her stomach to twist and her heart to ache, though instead of focusing on it she instead spoke up.

"Really?" She asked as Akito nodded and opened the drawer at the counter between them before rummaging around for a moment or two and pulled out a small book with the title 'recipes' written on it with a pen. Placing it down between them he scrolled through the many pages until he reached the page containing the recipe for 'Mountainberry Preserves'; it's title playfully published by both his mother's and a young Akito's signature.

"See? I wasn't lying to you." He stated as he slid the book before her, causing her to bite her lip as she took it in her hands and ran her thumb across their names in thought. Seeing this, Akito looked down at the preserves and formed a halfhearted smile.

"It might sound crazy, but when I was in Konoha I always made sure to take some with me. That way I could always have something to remind me of home… of my family." He added before reconnecting his eyes to her bright blues.

"She would have loved to meet you." He admitted, bringing the two of them to stare at one another for a moment with racing hearts before he averted his eyes up the stairs on the other side of the living room, just as Takao stepped down into the open area with a wide stretch.

"Takao too." The boy added to announce Takao's presence as the man scratched himself and made his way to where Kisa was sitting.

"Of course she would, I'm a fucking riot." Takao replied as he sat down beside her and looked at each of them awkwardly with sleepy eyes.

"Wait, what are we talking about again?" He questioned, forcing a long sigh of exasperation from Kisa's mouth as Akito laughed and shook his head.

"Nothing at all. How did you sleep?" The boy asked as he returned to what groceries remained in the bag, leaving Takao to look at the recipe in Kisa's hand briefly before she closed it and set it gently to the side.

"Beautifully after that extraordinary long walk up the mountains to this place yesterday. What about you, Kisa? Have fun sleeping in Akito's bed?" He questioned in order to purposely annoy her for closing the book before he could see what she was reading, bringing the girl to huff in annoyance as her face turned red.

"Shut up, Takao." She warned him to which he laughed before turning his attention back to Akito.

"So what's on the agenda for today, hmm? Going to show us around Iwagakure a bit while we wait for the order to move out?" He asked as the boy looked up at him.

"We can if you want, but we will need to be a bit more discreet about it. People in Iwa are not as welcoming as they are in Konoha, even with the Tsuchikage's approval." The boy replied as Takao leaned on the counter and reached for a piece of bread, though unlike Akito and Kisa he placed it in his mouth without any of the fruit spread.

"Don't worry; the people in Konoha grew to love us, and so will the people here." He replied as Kisa looked to him and shook her head before returning her attention to Akito.

"It's okay if you think that going out right now isn't a good idea. I understand that to them we are considered outsiders and the last thing I think we should be doing is provoking any kind of fight." She stated as the boy before her stared at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"Outsiders or not you are my guests and if you want to see Iwa then I will show it to you. We can go whenever you two are ready." Akito responded, bringing Takao's grin to widen as he cut another piece off of the bread to shove in his mouth.

"Excellent! I'mma go shower now then!" He said as he stood up, though as she attempted to walk away Kisa grabbed a hold of his shirt collar and pulled him back.

"Oh no you don't! You constantly use all of the hot water and leave me to take a cold shower! I'm going first!" She exclaimed as the man looked at her, blinked and sighed.

"Fine, but don't take forever. It may seem like I use all the hot water, but you're just as bad. The only reason you don't think so is because you hog the bathroom long enough for it all to come back." He stated in defeat as the woman rolled her eyes, stood up from the chair she was sitting on and looked at Akito with a small smile to thank him for breakfast before heading off to shower, leaving the two men alone.

"So, now that Kisa's gone, I have a question." Takao stated as Kisa made it to the top of the stairs, bringing Akito to look up from the bread he was cutting and hum in response.

"What's it going to take to get a date with that feisty friend of yours?" He questioned, to which Akito raised an eye.

"Kurotsuchi? Are you kidding me, Takao?" He questioned as the man shook his head.

"No, I'm being serious. C'mon, what's a guy gotta do?" Takao replied as Akito shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not sure if you remember yesterday or not but Kurotsuchi didn't seem keen on the idea, and I doubt that's gonna change. She's focused entirely on taking her grandfather's place right now and has not once gone on a date that I am aware of, and should that day ever come I doubt it will be with someone from outside Iwa. Her fierce loyalty to the village would never allow it." He replied, bringing Takao to huff.

"Oh come on now, you make it seem impossible. You're fiercely loyal to Iwagakure too, but you've still taken it upon yourself to fall head over heels for Kisa. Same goes for her, too. A year ago she would have almost certainly viewed her feelings for you as a betrayal to the Hidden Mist, but now… bam! Here we are in Iwa." The man stated in objection, bringing Akito to look at him in embarrassment. Head over heels? Was that really how far along her feelings for him had become?

Seeing the shy look on his face, Takao couldn't help but grin. Did he really think he was that blind? That he hadn't noticed what was going on?

"Don't you lie to me too, Akito. I might be an idiot sometimes but I'm not dumb enough to think that you two are just flirting back and forth. I've been watching the two of you grow closer and closer ever since we all first met… this is far more than that." He added as the boy's eyes diverted down, unsure of what to say.

"Hasn't anyone in Konoha caught your eye? There are plenty of beautiful Kunoichi there, all of whom would be significantly less likely to strangle you." Akito replied to divert the spotlight away from Kisa and himself, causing Takao to laugh.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that? I think they are much more attractive when they are different from the rest, and with her it is definitely the risk of physical harm that's got me feeling this way." The man added, instantly souring Akito's expression at the thought of what that statement truly meant.

"Please stop talking. Please." He pleaded, forcing the man to laugh even harder as he reached over and smacked Akito's back in line with his boisterous display of amusement.

"Oh come on now, that was funny!"

Finished with preparing herself for the day, Kisa once more descended down the stairs into the living room in search of Akito. Despite the fact that she didn't agree with Takao's opinion that she hogged the bathroom she did her best to make her time in there fast, though it was her desire for more time with Akito alone that really drove her to hurry.

Stepping down the final bit into the living room, the girl's blue eyes immediately darted up to Akito as he stood in front of the fireplace looking at the pictures on the mantle in a way very similar to how she had done so not long before.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch your things." She stated as a sort of way to gauge just how he felt about how she had picked the picture up in her hands to both clean and examine the photograph closer, causing the boy to shake his head.

"Don't apologize, you can touch or move whatever you like. You are my guest, and I know they are hard to see with all the dust on them. I haven't really had much time to clean over the past few months." He replied as Kisa smiled a bit.

"You don't say." She teased before turning her attention to the couch he had spent the night on; the blanket he had covered himself with now neatly folded up over the back. Making her way to the couch and sitting down where she assumed his head would have rested, the woman ran her hand across the soft blanket as her smile diminished a bit. Although it seemed to be a comfortable combination she couldn't quite justify not saying anything about his choice to give up his bed, or atleast the chance to thank him for doing so.

"When you offered me your bed I didn't know that you would be sleeping on the couch. If I had known, I wouldn't have accepted." She said softly as the boy laughed again and turned to join her on the opposite side of the furniture.

"Why do you think I didn't tell you?" He replied, bringing her to pout as he shook his head playfully.

"It's alright. I wanted you to be comfortable and free from the inevitable sneezing brought on by the dust in ethier my parent's or brother's rooms. Although, Takao doesn't seem to mind." Akito added, to which the girl scoffed.

"Takao could sleep outside, unsheltered during a typhoon if he was tired enough, so I'm not surprised." She responded as her eyes again turned to the pictures on the mantle while internally debating whether or not she should bring it up.

"That picture up there… that's you and your family, right?" She questioned as a formality as Akito followed her eyes to where she was staring and nodded.

"Yeah. How could you tell?" He asked jokingly as the girl turned towards him, pulled her legs up onto the couch and tucked them to the side.

"Probably because you haven't changed a bit. Well, that's not _entirely _true. Maybe you have changed a bit… but there's no mistaking your unruly hair." She added as the boy again laughed.

"Hey, I don't like having my hair cut short like Akihiro did." He replied, to which the girl laughed and shook her head for a moment before staring at him with an affectionate yet tame smile.

"You two look so much like one another, like your father, but you certainly have your mother's eyes… and her smile." Kisa added as Akito looked down to the empty couch cushion between them with the same smile she spoke up displayed across his face.

"Do you have any pictures of your parents, Kis?" He questioned softly, bringing the girl to blush lightly as she reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a small picture she had brought down from her things in preparation of this exact conversation.

"This was taken not long before he passed away." She stated as she reached out and handed the boy the photograph, which he immediately looked down to with a small smile as his eyes came to focus on the young, white-haired girl hanging on her father's back; her arms wrapped around his neck as she looked over her father's shoulder with a wide grin. Just like the photo of himself and his family she couldn't have been more than ten years old, if that even, hinting to him that it appeared they had lost their families around the same time as one another.

"He was a handsome man, and I can see by the way he's smiling that you were his whole world." He stated softly in a compassionate reply, to which Kisa smiled as she brushed a piece of drying hair behind her ear nervously.

"I was. It was just me and him, so we were close. Very close." She replied before looking back up into his eyes with her bright blue orbs, bringing her to bite her lip for a moment before speaking up.

"You and I are not so different after all." The girl stated as the boy cocked his head a little bit to the side with a soft grin.

"Different? What do you mean?" He questioned as Kisa looked down at his hands as they continued to hold on to the picture of her and her father.

"When we first met, I never thought I could ever find something about you that made me see you as anything other than my enemy… but now I know that you are more like me than any other person I have ever met in my life. I'm so very glad that I was able to see that through my hate, and that you gave me the chance to be your friend." She replied, furthering Akito's blush as his chest pounded at the tender moment between them.

These moments reminded him of the night of their date and were becoming more and more common as the days went by, causing them both to feel closer to one another with each passing day and allowing feelings he once feared showing to flourish, forcing him to maintain the steady pace of development Tsunade had warned about to avoid hurting his friend.

"I-I feel the same way, although I didn't think of you as an enemy that day." He replied jokingly in a soft tone as he looked down at the couch, bringing the red-cheeked girl to tilt her head.

"Really? Even though we tied you up and abducted you?" She questioned as the boy shook his head, causing her to become curious as her own heart raced a bit by the uncertainty brought on by the tone of his voice. She knew him well enough by now to know he was thinking about something he wasn't sure if he should say, and she wanted to know what it was. She too was trying her best to heed the Hokage's warning, though it often proved much harder than it appeared.

"If you didn't think of me as your enemy, then what _did_ you think?" She questioned in order to lure him out from his reservations, bringing him to look up at her briefly with a smile before averting his embarrassed eyes down.

"I thought of you as someone who was compassionate enough to save my life despite the differences between our people… someone who I knew wouldn't let anything happen to me." He replied as the girl's grin grew with a playfully sarcastic tinge. To her it seemed as if what he was saying was an innocent attempt to flatter her, and although she didn't dislike the attempt, she wanted to hear the truth.

"You got all of that from how I was acting? Did I scramble your memory when I beat you up two weeks ago?" She replied somewhat jokingly in reference to her cold, cruel demeanor towards him when they first met, though Akito simply shook his head.

"I didn't know that from your actions… I saw it in your eyes." He replied, bringing her eyes to widen and her blush grew darker in color as her preliminary assumption of his intent disappeared and was replaced by the familiar sense of warmth she often felt when he said things like this. Embarrassed and unable to hide the goofy smile creeping over her face, the girl pulled the pillow she had been leaning against out from behind her back and threw it at Akito's face.

"Shut up!" She ordered playfully as the boy knocked the pillow away from his face and laughed.

"I'm serious!" He cried, leading the two of them to stare at one another with embarrassed smiles for a moment before turning towards the stairs as Takao once again made his way down into the living room, this time with his long coat over his shoulder, revealing his muscular structure and the several old scars that were spread out across his skin.

"Alright, I'm ready. Leeeeeet's go!"

Setting out into the village, the group spent the next few hours following behind Akito as he gave them as best of a tour as he could given the circumstances of their allowance there. Despite the looks his visitors received he was able to show them Iwa's shinobi academy, a few of his favorite places he went to in order to relax, the top of the Tsuchikage's tower included, as well as a restaurant he had often frequented as a kid. Coupled with the sights of such a divergence from their norm that Iwa was, both Kisa and Takao found himself just as awestruck as they had been the day before, though as their limited tour came to an end it was their final destination that was the most significant.

Coming to a stop at the entrance to a rather ornate structure on the outskirts of Iwagakure, Akito looked up at the massive wooden doors in front of him for a moment before turning to Kisa and Takao with a grin.

"Here it is." He stated as his guests looked up at the stone hall, bringing him to continue forward towards the doors to open the cautiously, allowing them to see what appeared to be a large, round room with a pedestal in the middle; it's base accessible by a small walkway across what was a shallow pond of water.

"Well this looks interesting!" Takao stated aloud as they began to walk inside the monument, instantly bringing Kisa to elbow him in the stomach in annoyance.

"Knock it off, Takao! This is a memorial, not an attraction!" She scolded quietly under her breath as Akito chuckled to himself and slowly made his way across the walkway to the center of the circular room before turning to watch the two as they did the same; their eyes looked around at the water and the rocks below its surface as they did so.

"This place is simply called the Stone Monument. It's a place where an Iwa shinobi could come to reflect on who we are and about what makes us strong; the Will of Stone." He stated as both Kisa and Takao came to a stop before the pedestal as well, the former of which stood between her two friends.

"This is like Konoha's Will of Fire, isn't it? A code for those from this village to live their life by." She questioned as the boy nodded, to which Takao titled his head as he poked the stone in the center of the pedestal in front of them, pushing it out of its position in the center of the monument.

"But it's… a rock. Just a rock." He stated as Kisa scowled at the tinge of irritation that flushed over her.

"Takao!" She scolded as the Akito shook his head.

"He's right, Kisa. It is just a rock." The boy replied as he reached forward and took the stone in his hand, looked it over intently for a moment and then tossed it into the water with the other stones haphazardly, causing Kisa great surprise.

"What?!" She asked as Akito laughed.

"This stone, and all other stones around, are the bedrock of our people. The first Tsuchikage believed that just like these rocks, a person's worth was judged by the will inside of them; a will that could change the entire world." Akito replied as he slowly knelt down and stuck his hand into the pool of water to retrieve another, randomly chosen rock from the pond.

"Any one of us could possess that power, and he believed that what made Iwagakure special was that we all possessed this will of stone. My father believed strongly in this as well, and to him, as long as he had his fellow shinobi by his side, there was nothing that we couldn't do." He added as he placed the rock on the middle of the pedestal and formed a small grin as behind his friends he spotted a familiar face emerging from the entrance to the monument.

"And do you know where he learned that from? I'll give you a hint; it came from the same man who taught you the exact same lesson you are now teaching your friends." The voice called out, instantly causing both Takao and Kisa to identify the voice as the Tsuchikage's, but as they turned around to spot the rather short man behind them, they were surprised to see that he was absent.

"Hmm?" Takao hummed in confusion as he turned back towards Akito to search for the source of the words incase the sound had been redirected by the room's shape, though as he did he came face to face with the Kage as he floated in front of him with his hands behind his back.

"Looking for something?" The Tsuchikage questioned with a stern face, instantly causing the man to yelp in surprise as he stumbled backwards and fell into the monument's pool of water butt-first, much to Onoki's amusement as Kisa stared in disbelief.

"What's the matter? You act like you've seen a ghost." He stated as Takao stared up at him.

"W-What the hell?! You can fly?!" He questioned in shock while standing up from the pond and shaking the water from his hands as the Tsuchikage moved himself to Akito's side.

"In a sense." He replied as he looked down to the rock on the pedestal, somewhat proud of himself that the teachings he had passed down to his student from his own master were not forgotten.

"I remember teaching your father that same lesson many years ago, long before I taught it to you. Back then I never thought I would live long enough to teach two separate generations of shinobi the way of our people, although I guess it must have stuck if you can so easily remember it." Onoki added as Akito smiled and nodded his head.

"You taught me well, sensei. I've never forgotten anything you've told me." The boy replied as Onoki scoffed.

"Except how to listen, occasionally." He responded before turning his attention to their guests and then back to Akito as Kurotsuchi entered the room and leaned up against the wall of the hallway leading back outside, raising Akito's concern.

"Is everything alright?" He questioned, to which Onoki hummed as he closed his eyes in thought.

"It seems that your target has come back into our sights a bit sooner than we anticipated." He replied, bringing both Kisa and Takao's eyes to widen as Kurotsuchi spoke up with the details.

"Anbu just dropped off the information not too long ago. Some of their informants in the outskirts of the Land of Earth spotted a trio of shinobi who matched the description of the three who you've been tracking heading up the mountains towards the border with the Land of Iron." She stated as Akito grunted under his breath. That was he nearly caught them the first time, why would they be going back there?

"Are they sure it's them?" He questioned as Kurotsuchi nodded.

"Yes. Two men, one woman, each with white hair and yellow eyes and another report of mutilated corpses in their wake. It's them." She responded as Kisa looked to Akito who stared at her as if to ask her once more if this was what she wanted, to which she nodded, prompting him to turn back to Kurotsuchi and the Tsuchikage respectively.

"We will head out immediately for the Land of Iron." He stated aloud as Onoki's eyes narrowed on him and his feet slowly planted themselves to the ground.

"Are you sure you three will be able to handle this? While I have no doubt in your abilities, this is typically a mission I would assign to the Anbu. However, most of them are currently preoccupied with the hunt for Deidara, as well as trying to locate Han and Roshi in order to warn them of the danger they face with the Akatsuki; an assignment I cannot risk taking them away from. Will you three be able to complete this task?" He questioned his student, though before he could answer Takao spoke up.

"Don't you worry about that, Lord-T; we'll get this time for sure!" He stated as he rang out the soaking wet sash around his waist, causing Kurotsuchi to roll her eyes.

"That's _very_ reassuring." She mocked as Takao spun around and pointed at her; his teeth exposed menacingly as he did so.

"Oh it is. I promise you that they are going to pay for what they've done… the real question is, where will you want their heads when we bring them back?" He added as a show of both seriousness and, albeit unintentionally, a bit of Kiri's legendary bloodlust, causing the woman to become more serious as Kisa stepped in to sooth what she saw as tension forming in the room.

"We will not fail, Lord Tsuchikage. You have my word." She stated in a confident yet respectful tone, leading Onoki to stare at her for a moment before finally humming to finalize his decision.

"Alright, get moving then. Please do try to be safe out there this time, however. All of you." He warned before dismissing himself from the moment with his bodyguard by his side, allowing the three man team to be alone again as they looked at one another.

"I won't let them escape this time. They will pay for what they did to Jun." Takao stated as his friends looked at him and then to one another in a solemn manner before each nodding in agreement. This was their chance to right the wrong made several months ago, a wrong that they had each lived with every day since then, and they wouldn't let that chance go to waste.


End file.
